This morning newspapers all over the world will have headlines about the tragic Air France accident somewhere over the atlantic ocean. These accidents are extremely rare and that's a major reason news media consider them attention worthy. We were talking about this last night, about how the loss of life on highways is exponentially greater and constitutes a much bigger safety problem, but because it is sadly so routine, the constant "trickle" of car crash deaths has little repercussion in the press. Air travel has become routine for tens (hundreds?) of millions of people around the world. It's a defining characteristic of our age and we take for granted its ultrahigh degree of safety. I worry much more about our girls crossing the street than I do about them getting on a plane. And they do get on planes. And trains, buses, and hop into cars... This morning Alma is in New York, Cristina is in London, and Daniela is in Madrid. Subway, Underground, Metro... they'll get around. (Mom and Dad are the catetos: we'll just walk today-Malaga's metro is under construction but is still a couple of years away.) This geographical dispersal is sometimes a little disconcerting, but I guess it's for good reasons. It's our little decentralization phenomenon. I trust we will all coincide at some point later this summer. We have to be centered on some level. The home as physical gravitation point has been greatly weakened in our age, especially in US society. So we need alternative centers. The telephone, email, video chats, etc., all become very important. As does the imagination. (In the photo, dawn from Alma's bedroom on East 25th Street.)
