New Orleans is a special place for me. Between 1974 and 1978 I lived there and loved the city. I never could find a job there that I could turn into a career that I felt comfortable with, and so I reluctantly left want went to graduate school at Johns Hopkins. But it always remains a happy place in my heart.
So, this early morning New Years' Day terrorist attack affected me greatly. And by cleaning it up, and returning Bourbon Street to "normal" a day later, disturbs me. As a society we tend to move on -- quickly -- with little deep thought about the event. We fail to soul search concerning aspects of our contemporary society. It is about making it like it never happened. Like an accident at a street corner near my home, where things are cleaned up within an hour and off we go again.
Maybe it is our internet and AI culture -- faster, faster, the hell with others and a settled sense of community. Maybe we just don't want to think deeply about ourselves but rather prefer to stick our heads in the sand, keep very busy, and never take time to take stock of ourselves and the quality of life. Surround ourselves with ephemeral plastic and metal things, and all will be fine.
