The picture of a sunny day.

[Image: White text on an image of outer space: “Many victims of today’s tragedy were fans of science fiction/fantasy.  They stood in line to be the first to see, to be inspired, and to escape.  As a community of dreamers, we mourn this terrible tragedy and this senseless taking of innocent life.”  —George Takei]

Lately I’ve felt alienated from the geek community, but reading this quote reminded me that these people died doing something that I very well could have been doing last night, pursuing a shared interest. There was something besides our basic humanity that connected me to them.  It’s likely I’ll be sharing in the dialogue about the political aspects of this tragedy in the days to come, because I believe that’s an important thing to be aware of, but not today.  People died in a senseless and violent manner last night, people who I can relate to in some small but personal way.  My heart goes out to their friends and families, and the survivors.