The past few days...

[Neil Ward]

I know several people have said this already, and it seems rather obvious to
say it, but this tragedy has deeply affected many people outside the US.
Those horrific images are running through my mind as I write this and it
doesn't feel right yet to try to file them away and move on, not that doing
that would be easy.  I can hardly imagine what it must be like to be closer
to all this than I am, here, in London.

The playing of the US National Anthem during the Changing of the Guard at
Buckingham Palace made me cry as I watched it on the news.  I'm not the
steeliest of men, but I had been unable to cry until that point, probably
out of sheer disbelief at what had happened.

On Wednesday morning, the commuter trains and buses in the British capital
were subdued, as pretty much everyone was reading about Tuesday's events in
the newspapers; many of us witnessed others sobbing openly on their way to
work.  On Wednesday and Thursday, I heard, with relief, that business
colleagues in New York and Washington were okay, and, with sadness, that
some of them had lost friends or relatives.  On Friday, we observed the
Europe-wide three minute silence in my office: for 180 seconds that seemed
like an hour, I sat, with my secretary crying her heart out in the next
room, feeling angry that traffic continued to stream past the window instead
of pulling over.

The friendship in this group has been something to treasure over the past
few days.  The advance of technology has allowed us a small world within our
world that has strengthened the ties between us.  I hope the human race can
now advance and eradicate terrorism, war, prejudice and hatred.  I hope
against hope that it can do that.

Neil