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| # 25 Wakes, Deaths and other bad news |
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How a man deals with bad news, is often the mark of the man. Conversely, how a business deals with bad news, is often the mark of the owners. Extreme bad news comes to different people everyday.
An Italian agent shot to death on the Baghdad Airport Road.
He had been involved in the release of an Italian reporter from the bad guys, just minutes before on the streets of Baghdad and he was rushing her to safety at the Airport.
Now, I don’t know about you, but Iraq has to be one of the most dangerous bits of dirt on the planet just now and the Baghdad Airport Road has to be the toughest piece of track there is.
His cargo was probably one of the most precious you can have.
Seconds later it all becomes extremely bad news.
Bad news for him, he’s dying.
Bad news for the American Government, apparently it was their solders that took him out.
Bad news for the reporter, her hero had just died in her arms.
Bad news for the Italian Government, their great escape plan had just blown up in their faces.
Bad news for the guys who pulled the trigger, they have to live with the consequences of their actions, for the rest of their lives.
Extreme bad news for his family, their lives will never be the same again.
Extremely bad news comes in many shapes and forms, not just the death of a loved one.
All sorts of things can happen, that make the world feel like a sad lonely place, it all depends on your perspective.
Bad things that have serious consequences for lots of good people, great plans that get screwed up by the actions of others, however well intentioned they thought they were at the time.
The ranges of emotions you go through at a time like that are huge. It usually starts with stunned disbelief, but quickly goes to anger, even rage and then thoughts of revenge burn brightly, but eventually the brain turns to frustration.
Deep sadness comes walking along the track next, followed closely by hopelessness.
Melancholy and procrastination can appear, but not always.
These emotions can swing back and forward violently, burn brightly or wane for years.
What’s worse is if one piece of bad news leads to another and then another, like dominos falling.
The desire to find out the truth about what has really happened is usually the thing that turns you around.
It picks you up off the floor when you really feel like you have just been run down by a Mack truck.
All sides have their spin doctors working overtime and the truth can be quickly lost or erased and can sometimes take years to find, if ever.
The desire to cut your hair really short, throw on the leather jacket, hitch up the six guns and go and sort some mother out, is a strong one. The tried and true “Hump with me pal and I’ll eat your face” theory.
Let’s blame that on the chemical’s that are flooding the body and usually ends in a blasé of glory, must be a guy thing.
Another option is to quietly gather the facts while accumulating some really big weapons you can throw over the other guy’s fence when you finally find him. The old, but still worthy of respect “Revenge is a dish best eaten cold” theory.
Above all at times like this, patience is your best friend, time heals all things.
Survival is your first priority, do what needs to be done to protect what you’ve got left.
This is when the true qualities of those injured by the aftermath come to the fore.
Who stands beside you at a time like this, is critical. True friends are few and far between and their help is vital, not just in the immediate post trauma but also for the long haul.
To the family of the Italian agent and all those that have been devastated by extreme bad news this year, in what ever shape or form it has visited you, take heart, time heals all things.
Remember that anything you survive makes you stronger.
Our own versions of bad news pails into insignificance by comparison, and as for me, bugger it; I’m going fishing and let that be the mark of this man.
But then, that is “Just an old truck driver’s point of view”
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