At least it wasn’t a Taser death

July 27, 2008 - Sunday

Yesterday morning I stepped outside to a cop car and ambulance parked in the alley. At first I wasn't going to ask what happened, but because my neighbor is new to the area I felt complled to assure the city was safe.

I approached the officer and asked if something bad happened in my building. He balked a bit at telling me but ended up saying that some guy beat up his girlfriend. I thanked him and told my neighbor that we didn't have anything to worry about--it was just a domestic dispute.

It didn't dawn on me until a little later how tragic it was. It's awful that a woman was hurt by her lover. What's even worse is how quickly I filed it into the category of "Not My Problem."

I wonder how often I do that without even thinking about it. I like to think I'm an optimistic, upbeat person. Is that because I ignore a lot of reality or because I look at the good side of it?