whenever i find myself in the midst of confusion, i yearn to write. today is one of those days.

war, killings, bombings, shootings.. the concept of people inflicting pain and suffering on others intentionally can be so strange sometimes. i have had endless discussions about world war II, the cold war, syria, nuclear weapons etc. in my world politics class. as stimulating as this class has been, i find myself disturbed by the lack of emotions and 'humanness' in our discussions.

the discussions about syria left me feeling particularly remote and faraway from the problem when all i wanted to feel was the opposite even though i was well aware that we were speaking in the active voice. have we learnt to desensitize to the violence in syria because of how long its been going on for? the deaths of civilians have become mere numbers while faces are fast forgotten.

when the boston marathon bombings occurred today, i was moved by how people were deeply affected by it and how people were eager to reach out in any way possible. i was also feeling the love from my family and friends from home who were genuinely concerned. i couldn't help but contrast today to what has been happening in syria. "at least 16 children killed in syria"; "syria forces kill more civilians"; "government air strikes kill 25". why aren't we compelled to feel as moved every other day as we are today?