Like most of the rest of the world, I’ve spent a good deal
of this past week reading about and thinking about the bombing at the Boston
marathon Monday. As shocking as the idea of anyone deliberately maiming or
murdering innocent bystanders is, I can’t stop thinking about three interviews
I heard very shortly after it happened. An event volunteer expressed anger that
someone would "desecrate" the marathon. “Who does this sort of thing?” a runner
exclaimed. “For most of us, the Boston marathon is sacred!” A spectator echoed
her when he said, “This race is like Mecca to runners all over the world.” I
found it a bit disturbing that they all referred to a sporting event in
religious terms. Isn’t this at least a little insulting, not just to the
Islamic world, but to faithful people everywhere? Maybe someone needs to stand
up and remind us all that sports are a pastime, not a religion. And races
aren’t sacred; life is.
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