Every day, the news are full of tragedies, whether on a big scale or on a smaller, more personal one. Most of the time, we read/hear about them and go on with our day, but once in a while, a particular tragedy grabs us and leaves us shaken and full of questions.
In the last few days, I’ve followed the news of the disappearance of CNET editor James Kim and his family who were on a road trip but never came back home. After a little more than a week, rescuers found his wife and two young girls alive (age 4 and 7 months) and in good health. Their car got stuck in the snow on a remote road in Oregon and after many days of waiting to be rescued, the husband decided to go try to find help.
They found his body yesterday, less than a mile away from his family, separated from them by a sheer cliff.
I do not know these people but the news shook me, most likely because it is so easy to see myself in their place. I imagine the desperation, the anger directed towards oneself, the tough decision that has to be made (separate or stay together?) when you’re tired, cold and hungry and you’ve been waiting for rescue for a week. And then there’s the belief that in this technologically advanced world, a family lost in the woods should be found rather easily. I get dizzy just trying to imagine how his wife must feel right now.