By Cope with tragedy reaching out

Carnage. Horror. Death. Destruction. We’ve heard enough of these words in the past week to last us a lifetime. We are not waking up from this nightmare: the World Trade Center is no more. The Pentagon is partially destroyed. Thousands upon thousands of innocent people are dead.

Amid the constant barrage of these events over TV, radio and the Internet, we walked around dazed, unable to focus on work. Then came sorrow, followed by anger. Who is to blame for this? How soon can we get our revenge?

Answers to these questions may not be coming soon, only fueling frustrations. We have been violated in every possible way. Many of us until now had perceived America as impregnable, virtually immune from this sort of event.

Make no mistake, to use President Bush’s words: Life in this country will never be the same. We are quite vulnerable. Silicon Valley itself is probably not far down the list among terrorists’ favored targets. Yes, it could happen again. These latest despicable actions prove again, as they have proven throughout time, that there will always be people driven enough and intelligent enough to thwart any defense system. They only need a reason.

If there is any ray of light in this dark cloud before us, it is that this tragedy has brought people together. Talk has centered on affirmations of American unity and spirit. Wonderful elements of the human condition, such as compassion and a willingness to help out, came to the forefront.

What a refreshing scene on Friday to see all 1,400 Los Altos High School students, teachers and staff gather in the gym for the “Day of Prayer and Remembrance” ceremony. The mood was serious and attentive, the student speakers eloquent. When Principal George Perez asked for a minute of silence, we could have heard the proverbial pin drop.

It’s appropriate to be patriotic. It’s another thing altogether to be hawkish, demanding the bombing of another nation before all the facts are in.

We love this great nation. One of the principal reasons is that it is a just nation. In most cases, we cast judgment only after a thorough examination of the facts. We’re confident this is what will occur here.

In the meantime, we can all cope by reaching out, especially to people of diverse cultures. Find out what you can do to help, whether it’s giving blood, volunteering at a food bank, sending money to relief efforts or giving a hug to a stranger. We can get through this and grow stronger, but only if we are united.