Today at the Museum I was struck by two particular exhibits: the Memorial to the 2005 victims of the London Bombings and the Great Fire of London exhibit. I thought it was a gracious gesture to dedicate a part of the museum to those who lost thier lives on that tragic day. It was very sobering to flip through the pages and see pictures and biographies of those killed in the terrorist attacks. I could not imagine how devastated I would be if something like that were to happen to one of my loved ones. It makes us remember the tragedy of September 11th and how so many innocent lives were lost, and lets us pause and take a moment to appreciate the life we are living today.

Secondly, the Great Fire of London exhibit grabbed my attention beacuase I did not realize how devestating the fire actually was. I have learned briefly about the London Fire in school, but never was given in-depth information of how the fire started and to what extent it burned the city of London. I did not realize that London was just a disaster waiting to happen with the wooden houses built on top of one another. So it makes so much more sense now to how the fire spread so rapidly and was able to destroy thousands of houses before it was extinguished. I also was amazed at how many people, including the King and high officials, stayed behind to try and put out the flames. If it were not for these brave men tearing down houses to stop the fire from spreading, who knows how long the fire would have lasted.

Both disasters brought the community of London together as a whole. When in crisis, people tend to forget thier differences and band together for support and survival. In 1666, thousands of families in London were without a place to live, and all of their possessions had been lost in the fire. However, this event became apart of those people. It changed who they were, thier values, and their perspective on life. It became apart of their identity, and they were stronger by surving such an ordeal. It brought the community together to learn from thier mistakes (of buildign wooden houses too close) and rebuild a better London. It changed their idealogy and made them look differently at what is important in life. I think they learned to appreciate the things in life that many tend to take for granted.

The same can be said for the survivors of the 2005 London bombings. After such a sudden tragedy, the people of London could not help but to take a moment and be thankful for all that they have in life, and be especially thankful that they were not in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even if for only a few months or years, I think the bombings changed the idealogy of the citizens of London. To be more thankful for what they have and not worry so much about the petty things of life. Learning in detail about these two events had an effect on me as well. It made me, a visiter to London, take a step back and think about what it would have been like to live through either of those situations, and I appreciated the fact that I am alive to live another day.