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By homely gift and hindered Words
The human heart is told
Of Nothing—
"Nothing" is the force
That renovates the World—
Emily Dickenson
For this installment, I thought I would cover a writer who I have always liked because he unflinchingly covers the heavy issues of life, such as how people deal with catastrophe. It happens to all people, unless you're Mitt Romney (and I am not too sure Romney is more than semi-human). You see, I think that part of what makes us human is how we deal with the awfulness that happens in life, and how that paradoxically binds us togther - ideally - and yet also makes us fly apart.
It also seems to me appropriate in making sense of what happened in Aurora, which although I did not know anyone who was wounded or killed, I know Aurora pretty well, and lived there for some pretty formative years in my life. I know exactly in what part of town the movie theater was located in (it is actually close to where my girlfriend lived) and also where the assailant's booby-trapped apartment was; It is just around the corner from a site that used to be occupied by an Army Medical Center, and is now used by the University of Colorado. I used to live around there. It was a pretty nice place to live. Never thought I'd see it associated with this kind of horror. . .
Which brings us to the author I want to cover tonight. Someone who has long written about just what people confront when it is their family member or loved one that dies in a national tragedy. And what the burden of survivorship really is.
For those who do not know, let me introduce you to Russell Banks, and the Sweet Hereafter
