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Shortly after the World Trade Center attacks, my hometown, like most hometowns in America, staged a candlelight vigil in the center. Traffic was blocked off as a few hundred people gathered, lit their candles and stood in supposed silence to express their solidarity as Americans, their horror at what had happened scant weeks before and their suffering in trying to return to their normal lives.
The silent part worked for about 30 seconds. Conversations of varying degrees of seriousness cropped up all around me. Someone started to sing a patriotic song, which briefly reunited the crowd, but the self-absorbtion was too strong. The man directly behind me answered his cell phone and proceeded to plan his week with the caller. I finally turned and said to him, "You couldn't wait ten minutes?!"
It gave me no sense of anything except annoyance.
Last night, leaving my mom's house after a day of supporting the American economy, I drove through the center of town again. This time, on the corner in front of the Unitarian church, I passed three people. One was holding an American flag, the second a lit candle and the third a sign that said, "down with Saddam, but up with peace."
Funny how hundreds of people made me feel nothing, but three people made me cry.
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