At Least 21 Killed, Over 100 injured In Head On Train Collision In Southern Spain
"The Accident Is Extremely Strange...All The Experts We Have Consulted Are Extremely Baffled." "A Night Of Deep Pain," Said Pedro Sanchez
My family members (via my daughter in law) in Andalucia are safe, thank God.
But it is true that when it’s a place you know, a route that is common, (like Malaga-Madrid) and a people you feel close to, it shatters you. I simply needed to post this. I’ve been silent a while due to a build up of what felt like a breaking world I couldn’t address. And I’m sorry to rub it in but the idea of people frantically searching for their loved ones, posting photos, “Estamos buscando…No sabemos nada de ella desde hace mucho tiempo…Por favor…” it breaks my heart to pieces. That vanishing space between hope and no hope, the non answering cell phones, the frantic social media postings. I feel sick with grief for them. Survivor’s guilt.
Why?
I spoke to my daughter in law, we exchanged messages a few hours ago. I didn’t have to go through those moments of sheer dread.
Was this terrorism? Some kind of message, or punishment?
“The accident is extremely strange.”
Pray for the victims and their families. This is a very painful day for Spain, and the coming days will be worse, as the death toll mounts.
I don’t like high speed trains. But the ones in Andalucía are outstanding, I never thought anything like this could happen.
Tears finally fell that had been trapped for days—some things I can’t tell you yet.
I’d been thinking all day: We have to love one another, and accept that life is precious, and take nothing for granted.
Let this be a lesson for us all, how fragile life actually is. x
When tomorrow starts without me
And I’m not here to see
If the sun should rise and find your eyes
All filled with tears for me
When tomorrow starts with out me
Please try to understand
That an angel came and called my name
And took me by the hand
—David Romano
I'm going to sound callous. I apologize in advance. I have to be callous by stating the observation of a long-running pattern: when Elections are coming, many unexpected traumatizing events seem be unleashed on the people. On purpose. All at once, like the avalanche of Leonard Cohen.
The biggest one was in March 11th, 2004. It's best to not go into the details. But before and after that, there is almost always something huge, surprising, associated with the pre-electoral period. The Journalists and broadcasters take control of the emotions of the people, then start an insane war of blame and shame, words like shrapnel moving in all directions. The politicians pretend to be responsible and reliable, and that is part of the stage play they shamelessly produce on top of the victims. They make promises they do not mean to ever fulfill. All pathological liars, all disgraceful, all possessed by pride and greed.
There is always a price of blood for power. We choose to live willfully ignorant of that constant.
This is the moment for the King and for his daughter to take control and placate the vices of the powerful. I am pessimistic: they will not even try, or they will fail again.
And so, it's the Nation alone, again. The Dissociated People against the Proud class.
The people will be fine. The remedy is to ignore the brutality of politics and live day by day. We count centuries of practice.