The fifth anniversary of 9/12
The fifth anniversary of September 11th came and went for me, mostly uneventfully.
Today is September 12, 2006, the fifth anniversary of September 12, 2001.
So what do I have to say?
The thought that first occurred to me is wondering what all of the fuss is. Yes, I know. I really do. Some of the fifth anniversary coverage I read yesterday left me choked up, present again to the feelings I had that frightening morning.
But what we've done in the aftermath is obscene and misguided. In the last five years, nearly as many American military personnel have died in Afghanistan and Iraq as in New York, Washington, D.C., and the Pennsylvania countryside on that fateful day.
And for what? Are we truly safer?
More importantly, is that even the question to be asking?
What occurs for me is that we've let one horrible attack become the focal point for our entire civilization... the frame through which all events are viewed... the scale on which all decisions are weighed. The "war on terrorism" has become the single overriding priority for our government; for many of our elected leaders themselves, this "war" seems second in priority only to getting re-elected.
With respect to terrorism, there is a real danger. On last Sunday's Meet the Press, Cheney observed that if "they'd had a nuke instead of an airplane" the results would have been very different. (For a wry look at this logic, check out this post on AMERICAblog.)
And I don't disagree: there is a real danger that someday we'll be attacked with a nuclear weapon. Or a biological weapon.
Our response to the 9/11 attacks is misguided, however. The truth is that creation always precedes destruction. This goes to the heart of that old saw, "guns don't kill people, people kill people." That's true enough, but if there are no guns, I don't have to worry about being killed by someone when I'm sitting in an open meadow, a hundred yards from anyone else. The gun changes that equation.
The same is true with nuclear weapons. We don't have to worry about a psychopathic fundamentalist taking out New York if there are no nuclear weapons in the world. But there are. And so we worry.
We worry. And we strike "pre-emptively." We are stuck reacting.
An alternate path, going back to the fact that creation invariably precedes destruction, is to bring more wisdom to what we are creating in the world. One place to start is to ask, What technologies are we creating? What risks do they entail?
More importantly, let's look at the conversations that we are bringing to the world. Are we truly speaking on behalf of the neglected, the suffering, the millions without a voice? Or do we speak out of one side of our mouth while really giving voice only to our own interests?
What listening are we creating in the world? How have the perceptions of the United States of America shifted in the Muslim world and with our allies? On both counts, our record is not good (see here and here).
With every one of our actions we shape the future that the United States is living into. With every statement we make, we alter the perceptions of those around us. We have the power to create a world that truly is aligned with our interests as human beings and that doesn't undermine the interests of others. But that path requires choices other than those we're making.
The "eye for an eye" teachings of the Old Testament appeal to our basic instincts. It is natural, perhaps, to want blood revenge and to seek security through killing.
But it is the "turn the other cheek" in the New Testament that is the radical idea, the wisdom that offers humanity something more than the status quo. War is a very young cultural conversation; it invites no transformation, asks nothing more of a people than allegiance.
War is expensive, but peace is the hard work. Life is always tenuous. Neither war nor peace offer any permanence. That is, at least, until weapons of mass destruction enter the mix. Then war truly does offer some finality.
War is a solution for the current generation. Something else is needed if we are seeking a solution for our children, and their children. Considering the perspectives of someone other than ourselves doesn't come naturally. Thinking proactively requires more of us. Acting as an adult calls forth wisdom.
We've already created the seeds of our destruction. The question we now face is, What can we create that will restore a wide open future?
Today is September 12, 2006, the fifth anniversary of September 12, 2001.
So what do I have to say?
The thought that first occurred to me is wondering what all of the fuss is. Yes, I know. I really do. Some of the fifth anniversary coverage I read yesterday left me choked up, present again to the feelings I had that frightening morning.
But what we've done in the aftermath is obscene and misguided. In the last five years, nearly as many American military personnel have died in Afghanistan and Iraq as in New York, Washington, D.C., and the Pennsylvania countryside on that fateful day.
And for what? Are we truly safer?
More importantly, is that even the question to be asking?
What occurs for me is that we've let one horrible attack become the focal point for our entire civilization... the frame through which all events are viewed... the scale on which all decisions are weighed. The "war on terrorism" has become the single overriding priority for our government; for many of our elected leaders themselves, this "war" seems second in priority only to getting re-elected.
With respect to terrorism, there is a real danger. On last Sunday's Meet the Press, Cheney observed that if "they'd had a nuke instead of an airplane" the results would have been very different. (For a wry look at this logic, check out this post on AMERICAblog.)
And I don't disagree: there is a real danger that someday we'll be attacked with a nuclear weapon. Or a biological weapon.
Our response to the 9/11 attacks is misguided, however. The truth is that creation always precedes destruction. This goes to the heart of that old saw, "guns don't kill people, people kill people." That's true enough, but if there are no guns, I don't have to worry about being killed by someone when I'm sitting in an open meadow, a hundred yards from anyone else. The gun changes that equation.
The same is true with nuclear weapons. We don't have to worry about a psychopathic fundamentalist taking out New York if there are no nuclear weapons in the world. But there are. And so we worry.
We worry. And we strike "pre-emptively." We are stuck reacting.
An alternate path, going back to the fact that creation invariably precedes destruction, is to bring more wisdom to what we are creating in the world. One place to start is to ask, What technologies are we creating? What risks do they entail?
More importantly, let's look at the conversations that we are bringing to the world. Are we truly speaking on behalf of the neglected, the suffering, the millions without a voice? Or do we speak out of one side of our mouth while really giving voice only to our own interests?
What listening are we creating in the world? How have the perceptions of the United States of America shifted in the Muslim world and with our allies? On both counts, our record is not good (see here and here).
With every one of our actions we shape the future that the United States is living into. With every statement we make, we alter the perceptions of those around us. We have the power to create a world that truly is aligned with our interests as human beings and that doesn't undermine the interests of others. But that path requires choices other than those we're making.
The "eye for an eye" teachings of the Old Testament appeal to our basic instincts. It is natural, perhaps, to want blood revenge and to seek security through killing.
But it is the "turn the other cheek" in the New Testament that is the radical idea, the wisdom that offers humanity something more than the status quo. War is a very young cultural conversation; it invites no transformation, asks nothing more of a people than allegiance.
War is expensive, but peace is the hard work. Life is always tenuous. Neither war nor peace offer any permanence. That is, at least, until weapons of mass destruction enter the mix. Then war truly does offer some finality.
War is a solution for the current generation. Something else is needed if we are seeking a solution for our children, and their children. Considering the perspectives of someone other than ourselves doesn't come naturally. Thinking proactively requires more of us. Acting as an adult calls forth wisdom.
We've already created the seeds of our destruction. The question we now face is, What can we create that will restore a wide open future?
posted by michael at 10:31 PM
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