Something I wish I did not have to share...

The conincidence of this entry and my previous blog  -both dealing with death, human frailty and the precarious condition of mortality- may leave some wondering about my emotional state.  I am just fine.  I am not fixated on these matters, it is just a strange coincidence to have happened upon these two accounts within days of each other.  This second blog entry is, however, much more disturbing than the first.  Death is one of two universal experiences for all humans.  Birth is the first, the inevitability of death is the second.  Rich or poor, male or female, King George or George from Milwaukee... we will all pass through this portal.  Having established these givens regarding death, suffering is a feature we do not need to promote, allow or tolerate.  Kindness and concern should be constants in our lives as is the breath that enters and exits our lungs.  Far too often it is not.  I'm sorry to bring this account to you.  It happended over a year ago.  It seems to have made big news but I did not hear about it and so I'm assuming that some of you also might have missed it.  It is essential, however sad, that we learn of such things in order that we may never allow them to happen in our own sphere of influence.  Here is the story:
This clip of surveillance-camera footage is very much worth avoiding. Trust me on the grisly essentials: a two-year-old is toddling across a market street in the southern Chinese city of Foshan when she is hit by a white minivan. The driver pauses, assesses the situation, and moves on, running over the girl again with the back right tire. In the minutes that follow, she lies on the pavement, is hit by another driver, and is ignored by more than a dozen passersby, including a woman walking with a child. Eventually, a garbage collector stops and pulls the child to safety.

Synopsis: October 13th afternoon around 5:30, a car accident occurred at the Guangfo Hardware Market in Huangqi of Foshan. A van hit a 2-year-old little girl and then fled. No passersby reached out to help and then another car ran over her. Over the span of 7 minutes, a total of 17 people passing by failed to extend a hand or call the police, up until the 19th person, a garbage scavenger ayi [older woman], who lifted her up after discovering her but the little girl in her arms was like a noodle, immediately collapsing back onto the ground. The trash scavenger ayi called for help, and the little girl’s mother, who was in the vicinity, immediately rushed over and rushed her to the hospital.