A piece of my world is missing.
Sean Robertson
Two things I've always known are no more. No more than a distant memory,
dissolving in a repeating vision of a shower of steel, glass, and ash. On
September 11th, 2001, a symbol of America's ability to create came tumbling
down like so many toothpicks, and with it, a belief in this great country's
ability to protect its citizens from the chaos around us.
One of my most enduring childhood memories was my first trip to Chicago.
Standing at the base of the tallest building in the world, I stood in awe of
our ability to create the unimaginable; there before me stood a towering
monument, thrusting impossibly high to the edge of the sky. I never forgot
that. It drove me to an interest in architecture at an early age. I got my
hands on every book I possibly could about cities and skyscrapers. I can't
remember the first time I ever saw a picture of the second tallest building
in the world. To me, the World Trade Center towers were always there, and
always would be. Then one day, I stood in my boss's office and watched them
fade away, in a slow, almost gracefully falling cloud. Something I have
seemingly never not known is suddenly no longer there.
As a kid, I was told of the invincibility of a great nation. In school, I
was instilled with a sense of patriotism that even during my harshest
criticisms of politics and the system was never far from the surface. Even
during out darkest hour, we never felt the chaos of the world so much at
home in our own living room as we did this Tuesday morning. In a few short
hours, the sense of security guarded by the might of the world's last
superpower was abruptly taken away.
I am left with horrific images of despair and destruction. They permeate my
daily thoughts, playing over and over in my mind. Try as I might, I can't
get rid of them. Those photos of people choosing to jump a thousand feet to
their deaths rather than wait for it in the burning tower are forever etched
into my mind. At first I was too stunned to feel it, but, the next morning,
feel it I did. A huge piece of my world has been suddenly ripped away.
Sometimes it is all I can do to keep from crying about it. It is hard to
believe that something so distant could affect me this way. I was lucky;
I've never been there, lost no relatives, and the one friend who worked in
the area is fine and well. Yet still, I feel a profound sense of loss.
Like everyone else who saw that footage, I imagine I'll be dealing with this
for a long time.
How does a country deal with something so shocking? In World War II, we
lashed back. A whole nation collectively stood up and said, "You do _not_
hit us in the face and expect get away with it!" The enemy was clear, the
target obvious, and the response immediate and complete. Now, as then, we
stand here with a great back eye, but this time, the path ahead is not so
clear. We stand dazed, desperately trying to see who the attackers were,
who was behind it, who was involved. Instead of one nation bent on
expansion, we're faced with a group of people killing in the name of God,
spread throughout many countries.
In our national state of rage, we must not simply strike at the person
standing closest to us, assuming he was the one who hit us. Our response
must be calculated, targeted only at those responsible. In my sadness, I
grieve not only for a monument and the lives in it lost, or for a nation's
greatness diminished, but for what we might become, should we not choose our
steps carefully. I fear for Arab Americans, here to seek only the American
Dream and suddenly waking up one Tuesday morning to find their new country
at their throats. We _must_ resist the urge to strike blindly at the
nearest bystander. We _must_ resist the mob mentality. We are faced with a
test, the final exam of Humanity 101. How we respond will determine whether
we pass or fail, whether we are fit to live in a world of peace, prosperity,
and justice.
Sean Robertson
webolu...@webolutionary.com
http://www.webolutionary.com
http://www.mania-online.com
"A doctor can bury his mistakes; an architect can only advise his clients to
plant vines."
- Frank Lloyd Wright
"I'm the UUA and I vote!"
http://www.uua.org
http://www.ucnorfolk.org
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This is message #775.
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Chief Thracian
<webolu...@webolutionary.com> wrote:
>We are faced with a test, the final exam of Humanity 101.
Very well spoken, Sean...the entire essay really came straight from
your heart. Indeed, we are all being called to greatness. For indeed,
this is "Judgment Day", as Cerberus carries out Zeus's judgment to
every corner of the world. The hounds have been unleashed.
>How we respond will determine whether we pass or fail,
>whether we are fit to live in a world of peace, prosperity,
>and justice.
I assure you and everyone, that we will all pass. And that those who
die in this war, did *not suffer much at all...for their souls will be
swept away into heaven the moment before any real tragedy touches
them. And, when it's all over, the dust settles for once and for all,
their souls shall be returned to healed bodies.
Gay people--or I should say LGBT people--will come out of this fiasco
smelling like roses...in fact, we shall emerge as the true heroes.
Those who still do not believe in the miraculous, in the great
compassion and humor of Our Creator...are due for a wonderful
awakening. Blessed be to one and all.
---
Hail Athenia, brave new gay nation!
Zeke Krahlin, Chief Thracian
http://surf.to/gaybible
--
This is message #783.