Byte Marks
Online diaries reflect on our tragedy

By Burt Lum

One week has passed since that day of infamy. It was a shocking, brutal display of hatred, etched permanently on the American psyche. I am still wrestling with my own thoughts about war and retribution. What happened on Black Tuesday was by far is the most tragic event I have encountered in my life. I remember the feelings I had when I heard about President Kennedy's assassination. Similar feelings welled up again when learning of the space shuttle Challenger disaster. But this cuts right to the core of my being.

Like many across the country, I wrestled with my feelings of anger, sadness, revenge, national pride and confusion. I attended memorial gatherings, talked candidly with my peers and followed the news with an obsession. I am admittedly no closer to understanding what I feel. I found myself echoing sentiments my dad had during the Vietnam War: "Nuke the SOBs." I was also touched by a comment I heard on the radio: "An eye for an eye only causes blindness." If Kennedy's assassination was our loss of innocence, then Sept. 11 was America's rude awakening.

Prayer and socialization are part of the healing process. For some, writing helps to deal with these tragic events. Through their writing, we can find some solace. For this I turn to three local online diarists who have chronicled their lives on the Web.

Panther, a homeless wanderer who frequents Sinclair Library, writes of staying close to his radio while looking for quarters and cigarette butts. Donna, a federal worker, is concerned, shocked and appalled as the events are chronicled. She pours her feelings out, the Web becoming a window into her soul. Finally Ryan, a spirited downtown Honolulu office worker, reflects on his week with photos and muses on the appropriateness of the Aloha Festivals during this somber time. American life will never be the same.

Burt Lum is one click away at burt@brouhaha.net.