The Aftermath

Tomorrow, the 25th of July 2011, it would already be 3 days since the gruesome massacre that has shaken all of Norway. The death toll is now 93 and many people are still missing.

Tomorrow the peace-loving citizens of Oslo (myself included) will be returning to our jobs, and try to resume our lives as if everything were normal. By tomorrow almost every bit of shattered glass laying on the pavement will be swept away. Almost every broken window will be fixed. Rehabilitation of the blast site will be started in full. Police lines will be removed. Stores will be open for business as usual.

Things have settled down a bit now on the media side of things. But the days ahead are most like to spur a new wave of grief, and possibly anger among many. The complete list of the victims' names will be released soon, and the suspect, Anders Behring Breivik, will be put in front of a judge for a preliminary hearing.

Breivik is not the only one being put to trial though. In a tragedy of this magnitude, every single Norwegian, men, women and children alike, are being put to the test. Our beliefs and principles, everything that we stand for, everything that makes us who we are as a nation, is being put through the eye of a needle. How much pain and sorrow can we stand? How much death and suffering can we endure? Will this tragedy bring about the end of an era as we know it, or will it only make us stronger, more united, more understanding, and more tolerant?

This tragedy has also brought to light the one thing which I think our fast-paced, materialistic and modern society has overlooked in the past few years: to value life in all its simplicity. Life is a wonderful, precious gift. But it is also short. We should learn to appreciate it while it is still there, while we still have it. Love wholeheartedly. Follow our dreams. This is the one thing I have told myself I will never forget. And after all that has happened, I came to realize that I, too, have not been appreciating my life, this gift, as much as I should have. In realizing this, and trying to make our lives better, richer, and more meaningful because of these turn of events, would be the greatest form of honor that we can bestow to the people who so abruptly lost their lives on July 22.

Life goes on for the rest of us who are lucky enough to get to live another day. But in our hearts and minds, we know that life will never be the same. The changes that we are going to embrace, be they positive or negative ones, is up to each individual to decide.