I just don't see how any of these events are relevant to me or mine. Like 9-11 - my overwhelming feeling was one of disconnect from the events of that day. Thousands died, many of them international or non-US citizens (look it up), but apart from one Amex person I knew personally, the victims of that day were no more known to me than the victims on the Titanic. My response was to secure the bit of critical infrastructure I was associated with, and that done, I moved on to 'combatting terrorist al Qaeda', which I have a very minor role on. I had a more direct involvement with the Nisqually quake where I drove to my kids' elementary school to make sure they were okay.

Now explosions at the Boston Marathon, and while I have a huge amount of empathy for the victims, I have no connection there either. With the fertilizer explosion in West, Texas, I am feeling a huge amount of loss for the volunteer fire fighters who lost their lives - I'm not a fire fighter, but I know a fair number of them locally, and I find their loss tragic, and depressing.

I am not so overwhelmed as I am reflecting on losses, which is hard. But direct empathy, I must confess, no - which some will say is unpatriotic or unfeeling, but in my personal damage assessment, just isn't there. Severe apologies for that to anyone who suffered a more direct or personal loss from these events. I am not overwhelmed.