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PARTING THOUGHTS:
(full story)
Waking Up ...
In the space of just minutes
on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001 our
world as we knew it, abruptly, irrevocably, and
tragically changed forever.
As many of us watched this
horror unfold live on television something very
powerful and jarring happened. Concerns (petty or
otherwise) surrounding our daily lives suddenly
collapsed into a deep and heartfelt awareness of
others, especially those living and dying through
those terrible moments.
This almost instant en masse
shift of focus from "me" to "we" is strong
evidence that our society is beginning to "wake
up" from the stupor of prolonged, prosperity
induced self-absorption. How can we have room for
personal concerns and worries when our collective
hearts ache for those whose lives have been
shattered by this tragedy. This unprecedented
crisis has brought us all closer together, not
only as Americans, but also as a world community.
Like any other kind of sudden
awaking however, it can at first be uncomfortable
and disorienting. What we thought was real, solid,
and certain has become more like a dream that we
have trouble remembering as we now stare into the
sobering light of a dawn we never imagined. One
that includes the very real possibility of a major
war with an enemy that has no face or country. A
war that could trigger consequences that no sane
person could admit to fully understanding. Make no
mistake; this new day represents some of the most
perilous times in human history.
But let's think about this
for a moment. Were we really any safer, more
secure, or more certain on the day before the
attack on New York and Washington, or were we
instead just blissfully "asleep" to the danger
that was always there? That's the thing about
"waking up", you realize that reality was always
in place, whether we choose to be aware of it or
not. It's like walking the edge of a precipice in
the dark, not knowing it was there until the light
of day shows just how close you came to going
over.
The fact of the matter is
that the fear, uncertainty, grief, sorrow, and
yes, anger we now feel is a regular, almost daily
occurrence for many people around the world. The
closest we ever came to experiencing those things
prior to that fateful Tuesday however, was the TV
or newspaper where we could turn it off or turn
the page if the visions of other's horror became
too uncomfortable. Now however, we have first hand
experience of this kind of horror and injustice,
and with it the sudden realization that we are all
in this together. That if someone, anywhere on
this planet is suffering, then it affects all of
us, making it incumbent upon us to actually do
something about it —and to ignore that duty at our
own peril.
Crisis is often a necessary
first step to awakening. And, awakening is the
first step toward transformation where our
collective attitudes and actions appropriately
reflect this new found awareness. In this case,
the awareness is that we are all in this together,
we are one people, and we are our brothers'
keeper.
These recent events show that
awakening can be very, very painful and heart
wrenching. Now let's pray that our hearts stay
"wrenched" so that we never again fall into the
unconscious state of ignorance that ultimately
will lead to even greater tragedies. |
