This was my immediate reaction to the bombing in Oslo, penned just a few hours after the attack.
I’ve always loved the fact that Oslo was such a safe city. You can walk right up to the royal palace. You can drive past the building with the prime minister’s office. It’s happy. It’s neutral. Things like this don’t happen. …Until they do.
This whole thing makes me sad. It makes me sad for the people who were killed or injured. It makes me sad to see the trust and comfort of the happy people around me undermined. It makes me sad to know that Oslo is not going to be the same city for a long time, if ever again.
I’ve walked down that street many times. The library is there. I have friends who live nearby. It’s a quiet area during evenings and weekends, when the government is not at work, and it reminds me that I live in the capital of a quiet peaceful nation. It will not remind me of that any more.
Now we’re all left wondering, “Why?” What was the point? Why now? Why did it take place late in the day on a Friday during the nation’s summer holiday, when most people were away, and many of the rest had already gone home? Of course, I’m glad that it did! Otherwise it would have been an even bigger catastrophe. Was it a crazy local? Did it have anything to do with the charges filed against Mullah Krekar (up until now, even our local terror suspect was more of a local oddity than a threat)? What does anyone have against Norway, other than the fact that it’s an easy, trusting target?
I’m glad that my friends are all fine, and now I find myself refreshing the news feeds, waiting for answers that will be a long time coming.
