Pistorius

AN EDITED VERSION OF THIS PIECE APPEARS IN THE NEW YORK TIMES SPORTS SECTION ON FEBRUARY 17,2013

("Pistorius Appears in Court to Face Murder Charges")

The awful sound you hear is of hearts breaking all over the world. After watching the debacle of Lance Armstrong, there is an increased desire for a fairy tale to come true. Our planet is overflowing with so much harsh ugly reality, where darkness seems to swallow up so much of the light.

Oscar Pistorius fought incredible battles with his own physical imperfections, and also with a system that at first informed him he was ineligible to compete with "able bodied" athletes. He was compelled to prove that having no legs below the knees had not somehow provided him an unfair athletic advantage. His story was more than extraordinary, it bordered on mythic.

And now this. He is but the latest to demonstrate that life's difficulties can intrude on each of us, that there is no safe haven, no place where demons may not reside.

Hero worship, at least on the athletic field, has never seemed more irrelevant. While the details are still unfolding,  I grieve for what appears yet another victim of senseless gun violence, and another fable that has been taken from us.