http://www.oakpark.com/Community/Blogs/04-07-2004/OP
-lost_nothing_-_ robbed:
What We’ve Lost Is Nothing
Candy Kane, blogger
Dr. J. S. Alexander
Posted: Wednesday, April 7, 2004 6:59 a.m.
It is worth pointing out that Ilios and Troy are believed to be synonymous names for the famed city of Homer’s Iliad, though I doubt very much Oak Park’s Ilios thieves were aware of such connections. Perhaps one might look toward fate as our primary human failing, by which I mean we are doomed to ours no matter the circumstances, and certainly no matter our own behavior. At least I have always thought so. I have long wondered how such a name appears in a town otherwise populated by Taylors and Divisions and Austins and other such commonalities. I empathize with you, Ms. Kane, not because of your insomnia as you might assume, but because of the eternal displacement the unfortunate events of our own Ilios have thrust into our otherwise (relatively) idyllic existences—as if we needed reminders of our own fragilities! Take heart that what has happened here is not unique, indeed is hardly worth our fretting at all, sadly. Though I do wonder, as I sit preparing for my day, if we are not just a bit like those gods of Homer’s, pondering in the weak light of dawn the unfortunate tragedy that is, ultimately, humanity.
Jon Salgado
Posted: Wednesday, April 7, 2004 8:04 a.m.
I think giving the perpetrators ANY kind of air time, in our thoughts, in our blogs, in the media, anything is exactly what gives them thrills. Don’t give them the satisfaction, Candy! I’m with the Ilios Lane resident who says what they’ve lost is nothing. He’s right. No one can take away the important stuff, right?
Andrea from Oak Park
Posted: Wednesday, April 7, 2004 9:56 a.m.
Candy . . . I feel your pain. I couldn’t sleep last night either! That’s what it means to be part of a community, part of a family, part of anything that is meaningful in our lives. I wish you courage AND a restful night tonight!
A Townshend
Posted: Wednesday, April 7, 2004 10:04 a.m.
To: Jon . . . I agree. Don’t give those damn criminals a split second of your brain power. But it’s also naive to think a crime of this scale, even without serious casualties, won’t leave us just feeling a little less secure in our lives. We need to find strength in ourselves, find the tools we each need to endure these kinds of events. I recently finished self-defense training certification and though I pray I’ll never need it, it sure makes me feel secure knowing I have it. (I highly recommend it, by the way!)
Smith from Oak Park
Posted: Wednesday, April 7, 11:42 a.m.
Come on, people! All this whining! It’s the tenth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide in case anyone would like to ponder REAL problems in the world. Teddy Kennedy called the war in Iraq “Bush’s Vietnam” (an apt description in my view). U.S. casualties in Iraq are skyrocketing, and it appears that the potential medical miracle of stem cell research is about to be halted. Let’s just try to keep a little perspective while we ponder those burglaries over on Ilios Lane.
PRS774@yahoo.com
Posted: Wednesday, April 7, 2:13 p.m.
To: JSAlexander
You’re a fucking blowhard. Bet you’d feel differently if your house were on Ilios Lane. Or your family’s. Why don’t you go bury yourself in some library somewhere . . . give the rest of us a break from your bleating sophistry! (Yeah. I can read a dictionary, too.)