Let’s unite and be thankful
As I write this commuting on the ferry into Sydney city this morning I feel a lump in my throat and eyes on the verge of tears as I think about the tragic events of the last 48 hours.
I had a blog post to publish this week and didn’t feel right to post it before acknowledging the Sydney siege which ended overnight in the tragic deaths of two hostages, a 34 year old man and 38 year old woman. As our Prime Minister, Mr Abbott has expressed, sincere thoughts and prayers with their friends and family.
It is sad to think the hostages who have all suffered a terrifying ordeal were going about their daily routine serving or consuming a morning drink as so many of us city commuters do.
The Lindt cafe is a regular for me with client meetings which brings this even closer to home. IECL where I work looks down Sydney’s iconic Martin Place (pictured above) and it was harrowing for us all to watch yesterday’s events unfold with a lock down area established and sirens as regular as the Martin Place clock chimes.
What was inspiring was to see the response of our NSW police force and cooperation of our city workers in establishing a secure zone for negotiations to take place.
During the repercussions of this event, I urge us all to support our Muslim community at this time where they too are victims. I have close Muslim friends who are some of the best people I know and it’s a time to all unite together. I’m humbled to see the #illridewithyou hash tag going viral today as a show of support for Muslim Australians.
We are stronger as one in this global fight against terror.
So what now? As my husband said to me this morning we have to be thankful for what we have and go about our day as normal. A colleague yesterday said he’s not prepared to live in fear which is what the terrorists yearn for.
I urge us to be thankful for every moment, say I love you to our loved ones, embrace a sense of community spirit and enjoy our beautiful Sydney summer.
Dani Matthews 