Yes, In know… I’m writing rather a lot on this topic. Let’s just say I’ve been thinking rather heavily on the topic, and I want to capture these thoughts.
Think;
The very reason Charlie’s murder is of that same weight as the other events-such as 9/11, the JFK murder, etc…. is because Charlie himself was also of that weight. I doubt any of us consciously understood that he carried that weight, that level of attachment in the society at large, until it happened. (Was it just a few days ago?) We knew it, we understood it as a subconscious thing… but didn’t give it much fore-brained thought.
I suggest the passing of Limbaugh was pretty much the same way and for the same important reasons. They both gave voice to our values and our ideas and ideals. The sheer weight of their personalities and their devotion to America, those ideas were something that most of us carried around inside ourselves….which is precisely why they were and are so popular, so loved even now.
Both their passing, therefore, was a huge loss because of the shared values they gave voice to. OUR values… expressed in a way that far exceeded our own abilities for the most part.
The difference, of course was in the way they left us. Rush’s passing was a sad event, but beyond human control and thereby (sorry, but this is not as disrespectful as it sounds…) somewhat easier to bear. We knew for a year he was on the way out. We were not happy about it, but we were prepared. When we lost Rush it was simply a matter of God calling him home.
OTOH, Charlie’s murder is harder to deal with because of how he left us… suddenly and violently…. and therefore, his murder was felt to be a violent attack on US, as well… in much the same was a 9/11 was a violent attack on all of us, on our shared values.
And that accounts for the sadness and anger we’re feeling ourselves, and seeing in others.
We promised we’d not forget 9/11. Problem is around half the people alive here in the states now, were not even born as yet when the planes took out the towers. With that in mind, the serious question before us is “What can we do to not forget, this time?”
