7 Years and Thousands of Tears

Today is Feb 20th, 2010. 7 years and thousands of tears later, we are 100 lifetimes ago from Feb 20th, 2003 when The Station nightclub in West Warwick RI burned down, injuring and killing many.... I ask this: Have we learned?

Have laws changed for the better? Fire codes updates? To be honest, I don't know if they have or haven't; and laws can really only do so much. Laws cannot stop fires, murder, or any other crime be it intentional or otherwise; but these things are not what I'm asking about if we have learned. There are many scenarios, many situations in life, and indeed many tragedies, but have we learned?

I do not mean to offend anyone or by any means minimize this tragedy, the victims of it be they survivors or not; nor do I mean any disrespect to the families, the memories, or the extended victims of this tragic event; but I must still ask: Have we learned yet? Have we learned about the greatest tragedy of all: The loss of our humanity. Have we learned yet?

Have we? Have you?

Do we remember?

Are we more kind?

Have we changed as individuals? As a society? In what way?

Do we live in the moment of Now, fully conscious, awake and aware that all is temporal?

There is nothing we may say or do to bring our loved ones back; and again, I do not mean to minimize or offend anyone or anything with my words; but we can honor the victims, their families, honor ourselves, and honor life itself by living in the present moment of Now. We can live in fear, in pain, in bitterness, in sorrow, or we can choose to live in joy, in happiness, and in love, in honor of these these things. I mourn the tragedy of the fire, the loss of human life; but I rejoice in life itself and the undying nature of it. I know that life itself and all within it go on; and so do we because we do not HAVE life, we ARE life.

While our loves ones are merely just beyond the veil of our perception of this realm, they are not lost to us unless we become lost in our loss and no longer live life, but merely exist. For that is the loss of our humanity, the tragedy of our soul, and the one true death.

7 years and thousands of tears, still I remember and I cry. Humanity reborn.

Author's Note: I was Jack Russell's Tour Manager on his solo tour right before the Great White reunion; so I knew the band and Dan the TM on the fateful tour. Part of me died that night, and it took me a few years after that night, but I eventually left the music business forever. A part of my soul, my heart, died that night. For a long time, I held blame and judgment on parties involved, but no more. Blame serves no one and harms All.

May you find peace within.

Ron