How do we react?

THe worst terrorist attack on the UK there has ever been they say. Tales of limbs being blown off, panic in the dark underground tracks not knowing how to get out or fearing that they wouldnt get out. Faced with their own death yet standing in front of the camera telling their own story. Each person has a different story. The American tourist now despoerate to go home to the States, the european tourist who had never been on the underground before today telling us her story with blackened face and a trembling lip. The nurse friend of mine who messaged me from the A&E department saying she was "working and crying intermittently".

These are people on the front line who were physically touched by the events of the day. Then there are those of us touched by the events in other ways. My own ma called this evening and began to cry at the injustice of those ordinary people on their way to work who were injured, or killed. I responded in a way that I think is quite a typical London response - "yeah it's terrible, but we were waiting for it, it was inevitable".

Like New Yorkers, who in terms of scale and numbers involved suffered monumentally more than most here in London, we are likely to remain defiant. Most will be concentrating on finding ways to get home right now, and again tomorrow morning, will be finding ways to get back into work again. To carry on as normal, keep things ticking.

I wonder if that is really right though? If we spend so much energy "getting on with it" where does all that other stuff go? Are we burying important things here? I dont believe terrorism should make us feel beaten into submission, or force us to seek raging revenge. But I do think there is room to sit and look at what we have done or how we relate to the world that has led a group of people to be so angry and to have such disregard for innocent lives. We should be looking for solutions, not just affirming our stiff upper lips and resorting to "puttting the kettle on" as if a cup of tea will wipe everything away.

But then again, maybe a cup of tea is just what we all need.