I hope the London rioting/looting isn't as bad as it looks on t.v. It's freaky watching a place you just were, go up in flames, but I'm also trying to remember the conversation I had with my Irish bus driver about how the west likes to blow these incidents out of proportion and splash the worst of it across the airwaves. I truly hope that is the case here, and that all my new London friends are safe and sound. It's sad that one tragic incident can send a country spiraling out of control so quickly. I'll never understand the mentality that lets people steal from their friends/neighbours/communities in times of turmoil and call it justice. What does it accomplish, other than to create more friction? I've caught a few interviews of Londoners in general, and they seem as perplexed as I am. What's worse, you can sense their fear/confusion and you realize that they risk getting caught in the crossfire just by speaking their minds.
I hope things settle down quickly, that London can go back to being the city I enjoyed on a hot summer day perched on top of a tour bus. She was cultured, distinguished, steeped in history, but most of all, she was kind. Kind to tourists, kind to each other. As I've said, it was one of the first things I noticed. The ability of all to stop and help, to take a moment from their day to put us on the right path.
I hope London can right herself and find the right path again, she deserves it, and so do her people.
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