Have we become numb to pain, suffering, and death as a nation?

Dear Editor,

I was living in America when September 11 happened, and I remember seeing the entire nation devastated by the loss of so many lives. Americans mourned together. There was a shared sense of grief, compassion, and unity.

I remember being in shock and feeling numb.

Today, I am living in Guyana and witnessing what many consider our own national tragedy on the Atlantic Ocean. Yet I see only a few people openly mourning the lives lost at sea. Many seem to be going about their daily lives as though nothing has happened.

Have we, as a people, forgotten how to grieve? Have we become numb to pain, suffering, and death as a nation?

I include myself in that question. I find that I no longer feel the same emotional pain when tragedy strikes in Guyana. That realization troubles me.

Have we become so traumatized by repeated hardships that another tragedy no longer traumatizes us? Have we grown emotionally exhausted from so many painful experiences?

What saddens me even more is that, even in the midst of a national disaster, we remain divided. Tragedy should remind us of our common humanity, not deepen our differences.

Is there anything that can truly unite our people?

Yours faithfully,

Anthony Pantlitz