COMMENTARY | As an avid runner, that last thing I’d ever think about is being a victim of a terrorist attack while pursuing my passion. But after what happened in Boston Monday, I am more determined to not allow terrorists to dictate my activities.
Reacting to the terrorist attacks during the Boston Marathon, The Hill reported Monday that President Barack Obama emphasized that not only would the perpetrator(s) “feel the full weight of justice,” but is “supremely confident Bostonians will pull together, take care of each other and move forward — as one proud city.”
The cowardly terrorist(s) who plotted and carried out this horrific act have exploited America’s freedoms. As a nation, we must not allow these fanatics to make us so afraid of going out and enjoying our rights to go about our business, a freedom Americans should appreciate even more.
Furthermore, rather than dwell on the horrific scenes constantly being fed to us by television, we need to focus on the American spirit of first responders who confronted the horror to save lives plus praise those who participated in the race to assist worthy causes.
The marathon was held on Patriots’ Day. It celebrates the beginning of the American Revolution, which occurred on April 19, 1775, at Lexington and Concord, Mass., per Fox 29/MyFoxPhilly.com Monday. But for marathon runners, completing a challenging race wasn’t necessarily their only focus. The Sporting News reported Monday that one runner, Sean Bagley, ran his 10th Boston Marathon to raise $5,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Those brave colonists who took a stand against the British envisioned a country where people could pursue happiness, free from the king’s tyranny. For Americans like Bagley, pursuing happiness came from not only testing his body’s limits, but from thinking about other people besides himself. His actions typify the best traits of Americans, along with those who came to the quick aid of the victims.
The New York Post reported Tuesday that “first responders ran to the wounded, as their blood stained the Boston pavement.” Those brave police, paramedics, fire officials and others dismissed their own safety amid the carnage for the sake of others.
Let’s hold the above courageous, patriotic citizens as the example of what the best of this free nation is about, rather than allow our freedoms to be curtailed via fear because of the murderous acts of a few.
