(be it personal, local, national, or global), how do you respond?

Author's Note: This thread is not posted specifically for 9/11, though it did prompt actually posting this. In posting this, I'm also thinking of the events in Norway and other events (personal and otherwise).

My answer: Tragedy sends me into myself. National tragedies can sometimes prompt patriotic music (though headphones if I'm not alone). An introvert by nature, I become withdrawn instead of simply passive.

are ya going to sit around like a pet rock being haunted by the past, or are ya going to get off your ass to help build a better future? get away from my booze and tobacco, btw.

+1

Being completely honest I'm a vengeance kinda person myself. How can we get to the perpetrators and make them suffer 100x worse.

Dibs brings a good point, withdrawing is just an initial reaction. After that, I want to know who did/caused issue and how to stop them.

think revenge might just be an act of guilt. pretty much have to fail in protecting someone to follow that path.

i painted my room red white and blue on 9/11 this past sunday

I think my gut instinct is revenge, but usually common sense prevails pretty quickly and I start looking for ways to make a bad situation into a beneficial one.

I would say I try (largely in vain) to make order out of confusion.

I suffered a terrible tragedy myself back on May 13, of this year. There is no one to blame. There is nothing i could have done different. Yet, my life is now changed and i have no way of knowing for how long or how bad. I guess you could say i am currently stuck in a state of limbo. Not knowing where things will go from here and i can't plan until i know what i am stuck with.

I do try to focus on the things i am able to do, albeit in pain and aggravation. I guess you could say i have hopes for good things in the future- but again, frustration seems to rule my days. Maybe i would feel better if i had someone or something to blame like on 911. At least then i could be angry. Instead, i get to put my life on hold and wait and see whats left.

BYW- im still and always will be pissed about 911. But thats a whole different matter.

DH my life also changed in May, May 22nd to be exact at 5:41 PM an EF-5 tornado wiped out most of my town, they found the hospitals helicopter and the black box recorded wind speeds in excess of 350 MPH, yes it was a horrible day, I am now living in a FEMA trailer so I know where you are coming from my friend. In some tragic events there is nothing that can be done. But the only thing you can do in these kind of moments is to persevere and push forward, even if for your own sanity.