Recently I’ve realized that my life in New York is like living in a bubble. Most national news events do not concern me, unless they happen in New York. That includes the recent
tragic event at Virginia Tech. I’m not heartless by any means, but I really wasn’t all that affected by it. It’s horrible, yes, but I am not in a state of bereavement, much like I imagine many New Yorkers felt after 9-11. On Thursday I wrote in my personal blog:

“It’s okay that you don’t feel like crying. Maybe you feel compassionate or sympathetic, or maybe you want to show national unity, and that’s awesome. But you’re not in denial, angry, desolate or melancholy, and that doesn’t make you a bad person. It makes you normal.”

Well this weekend I’m in Maryland, and last night I went out in DC and everyone was wearing the school’s colors and everyone seemed very united in their local grief. Perhaps it wasn’t weeping or sorrow, but it was palpable.

There’s something about living in New York that removes me from other parts of the country. Perhaps this is the only city I’ve ever lived in that I didn’t have to drive, so therefore I get a true sense of locality. It’s a bit isolating here, and I become very inward looking, but not in a bad way. Major New York City events are national events, though. 9-11 wasn’t just a local tragedy, it was an American tragedy.