Discussing
Olympic tributes and true lament

I was disturbed that NBC didn't air the tribute, and truly wish that they had. You make several good points about America and the way that we deal with suffering. We are a success based society with little tolerance for failure. Because of this I think you are right in saying that we are uncomfortable with public displays of lament. This is indeed something at odds with our Christian roots. As Christians our logo, if you will, is a naked man nailed to a cross. It's the ultimate tribute to the transforming power of suffering. We are the only religion that worships the victim and believes that God is not distant from our pain, but suffers with us. It is only through the pain of the cross that we can move through the darkness and into the light of the resurrection. How can we reach that light if we refuse to deal with the darkness?
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With the daily dose of tragedy in the world, I had forgotten about the London event. It's the job of the press to remind us. I agree with Bethany. I would have at least liked the option "to mourn with those who mourn." But whoever controls programming has decided to compartmentalize public grief. We are treated to faces of grief on the news but while we are escaping with whatever entertains us the thought is that we should be shielded from reality. Only when we are paying for drama and expecting drama should our entertainment include drama. Remember after 9/11 how, for a while, images of the towers were removed from movies but now they are back in? Is this a marketing decision? I keep thinking about a passage in James describing a person who looks at himself in a mirror then walks away and forgets what he looks like.