It will only get worse. As days pass, and the hopes of miraculous rescue fade, the full horror of the terrorist attacks on America will begin to sink in. As the funeral services are held, and grimmer still, as the realisation grows for many families that there will be no body to bury, the pain and suffering will reach a well-nigh unbearable level.
With that pain will come renewed demands for action, to hurt others as America has been hurt. It is here that the utmost care and reflection will have to be brought to bear. Much of the anger felt by American citizens will be focused on what is termed the Islamic world, or rather specific states within that world. This is more than dangerous, particularly if the actions of fundamentalists were considered to be representative of Islam or Muslims in general. The rise in Islamic fundamentalism is a frightening phenomenon, but many ordinary Muslims are the ones most directly affected and oppressed by that growth.
Actions such as the attack on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon are perversions of Islam, and horrify very many Muslims. As Islamic commentators have declared this week, the use of innocent people as weapons offends both human and Islamic values. One of the limitations on Jihad - or holy war - is that it should not be waged against the innocent. As Mark Little of RT╔ pointed out, the celebrations of joy in the streets by Palestinians were short-lived and involved few people. That does not lessen the sense of shock that anyone could rejoice at the terrifying deaths experienced by so many, but it does put it into context.
Already, around the world, admittedly in isolated incidents, there have been anti-Islamic demonstrations. In Illinois, 300 people tried to march on a mosque, while in Australia, a school-bus carrying Muslim children was stoned.
A mosque in Montreal was the target of a fire bomb. Mosques in the US, Canada and Australia have received abusive and threatening telephone calls.
Here in Ireland, we have a small but growing Muslim population, often very visible because of their distinctive dress. Occasionally, Muslim women in particular have been the victim of racist abuse because of perceptions, often wrong, that many Muslims are asylum-seekers. It would be more than tragic if this small group were to suffer any form of backlash because of the actions of a few who commit atrocities. The Islamic world is huge and very diverse.
Anyone living near the Irish mosques will be struck by the diversity in dress and nationality among those who pray there. Not to mention the fact that many people are culturally Islamic but do not practice their religion. The Taliban, or Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida are no more representative of Islam than those who harassed and terrified small girls on their way to school in the Ardoyne are representative of Protestants.
That is not to say that there is not deep resentment of American foreign policy in many parts of the Islamic world. Many Americans have understandably reacted with anger to any suggestion that their foreign policy has in some sense brought upon them this carnage. And of course, they are right.
Nothing justifies the callous disregard for human life, the diabolical willingness to murder thousands of people as they went about their daily lives.
And yet, inescapable facts remain. During the 1980s in Afghanistan, bin Laden and his like were allies to be cultivated in the fight against communism, and they were armed and trained by American agents. Now the Cold War is over, and those formerly useful clients pose an even greater threat to the US. It is ironic indeed that communism should have been replaced in popular culture as the enemy by Islamic fundamentalism, given the US record of aid to such groups.
Common sense would surely suggest that the last thing which is now needed is any action which would swell the ranks of those fanatical and committed enough to die for their cause. As many have commented over the past days, all the security in the world cannot protect against those for whom suicide is a weapon of war.
For so many Irish people, New York is a second home. However, the desire to reach out in solidarity to all those who are bereaved should not rob us of all critical faculties. Heartfelt horror sparked by Tuesday's events should not blind us to the reality that a deep and sincere desire to stand shoulder to shoulder with them in their grief, is not at all the same as uncritical endorsement of policies which may well lead to further atrocities.
Bill Clinton was feted here as a peacemaker despite the fact that it was he who sanctioned the retaliatory bombings of Afghanistan and Sudan, both of which were pointless and destructive exercises. That is not to take from Clinton's genuine commitment to the Northern peace process. It is possible to acknowledge strengths while remaining clear-eyed about flaws and weaknesses.
As the only remaining superpower, the US is in an unenviable position. It has been the recipient of much criticism of its desire to influence world politics and for the way in which it is perceived to always act in its own interests, whatever the collateral damage to economies or peoples. Yet when Bush took office, and made it clear he was going to follow his instincts and concentrate on home affairs, he received massive criticism for that too. There is a sense in which the US is condemned for meddling and condemned for not caring enough to meddle.
As a result of its immense power, the US influences all our lives. Part of the impact of this week's events comes from the fact that many Irish people are more familiar with New York's skyline than they are with Dublin's. With that influence comes an enormous responsibility. As the air resounds with talk of war, let us not be blind to what that could mean, and how it could escalate. Let us reach out to help and comfort in every way possible.
However, let us not confuse that instinctive human sympathy and admiration for many individual acts of heroism with the advocacy of policies which may ultimately lead only to further tragedy.
bobrien@irish-times.ie