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Balance, Humanity, Compassion, Calmness. (Reply to this comment)
by ChrisJarmick
We are going to war and we aren't even sure against whom specifically or how many enemies we will face. This is not going to be like any war we have ever experienced before. We are of course at war against terrorism. And we must be at war against terrorism. Because terrorism is an evil that will not hesitate to use innocent people, religion, politics, or anything else to advance a cause that leads to utter anarchy and spells death to civilization and humanity as we know it. Terrorism however comes in many forms and degrees. And if terrorism makes us less humane... it has at least partially won a victor over having an effect on the whole of civilization.
We must ask the difficult questions and we must consider such things as how precious each and every human life is on this planet and we must remain compassionate and loving in our hearts. Otherwise we cease to be a civilization of true worth and value. We know that an individual's life is not precious to a terrorist. However because it is precious to us, we are vulnerable and it is one of the reasons the terrorists did what they did. Lives do make a significant difference to us.
A soldier on the battlefield can not and should not be thinking about the sanctity of life or letting compassion enter his thoughts… but I am not talking about a soldiers on a battlefield. We are people who individually make up a nation which has decided to create an army of soldiers. And no, civilians are not soldiers on a battlefiled (and haven't become soldiers on a battlefield because of this attack)… we are people who must get back to our individual contributions in making this nation the greatest one of all.
Justification for the need to prevent future attacks on civilians is not an issue. There's no question we were attacked and innocent civilians, men, women, children from several nations were killed. They were killed en-masse, not individually. Who they were and what they stood for, how good or bad a person each person may or may not have been had nothing to do with the reasons why they were killed. They were people who were in a building, that was targeted as an important enough of a symbol of America that it must be brought be down. The terrorist decided the human lives were less important than making an unforgettable statement to the United States and the World. Attacking a symbol was worth the incredible loss of life and the costs involved.
The costs involved in fact insure there is less money available to fight world poverty as well. So the terrorists have gained less than nothing--except attention and a disruption of what we had come to accept as normal life. They hope of course that the attack will cause many to lose their sense of balance and will be a huge tear in the foundation of Modern civilization. It can not be if we hold onto the notion that every single human life is precious and we never lose sight of the fact how valuable every single human life on this planet is. (The reality is choices must be made…which is where compassion plays an important role).
Every human life is connected to other human lives. Each one matters in some way to each of us. Even if the way in which it matters is almost imperceptible, it still matters. And our nation is so great we can remember that and we will take the risk that we might have to endure more terrorist attacks to stand tall and strong in our belief that individual lives have worth, meaning are worth preserving. We must defend what makes our society the best in the world, but we must do so with a clear vision… not a narrow one. We must do so with the greatest degree of civility and responsibility possible and not out or anger or revenge.
The reality is.. innocent people will be killed and there will be casualties and mistakes will be made. Horrible mistakes that will ruin even more families around the world. We will have to forgive ourselves and our leaders for these mistakes in the future and we must be able to see that for every mistake there are dozens of things we did that preserve and respect human life.
We must balance our purpose, our belief, our faith with what needs to be done, and with the cost at all times.
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Sep 21 '01
9:51 am PDT
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Beautifully articulated thoughts... (Reply to this comment)
by mkp51
...ideas that every one of us should take the time to think about.
But not right now.
Right now, at this moment in our history, we must remain focused on one fact and one fact alone: An act of war was committed upon our nation. Not only upon our nation, but upon civilization as a whole.
We didn't ask for it. (Although some people say we did), and we don't want it (although many people theorize that we do). But, now that war has been thrust upon us, we must stand up to our enemies.
Yes, we do have to take the time to look inward and ask some hard questions about ourselves and our role in the world. We do have to come to an understanding of why there's enough hatred in the world of America and things American that men would hijack our jetliners and fly them deliberately into our buildings.
But we should save that self-examination for later. Right now, we have some unfinished business to attend to. As President Bush said last night: "whether we bring our enemies to justice, or justice to our enemies... justice will be done."
Thanks for a wonderful essay.
Mike (mkp51)
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Sep 21 '01
4:33 am PDT
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Beautifully articulated thoughts... (Reply to this comment)
by mkp51
...ideas that every one of us should take the time to think about.
But not right now.
Right now, at this moment in our history, we must remain focused on one fact and one fact alone: An act of war was committed upon our nation. Not only upon our nation, but upon civilization as a whole.
We didn't ask for it. (Although some people say we did), and we don't want it (although many people theorize that we do). But, now that war has been thrust upon us, we must stand up to our enemies.
Yes, we do have to take the time to look inward and ask some hard questions about ourselves and our role in the world. We do have to come to an understanding of why there's enough hatred in the world of America and things American that men would hijack our jetliners and fly them deliberately into our buildings.
But we should save that self-examination for later. Right now, we have some unfinished business to attend to. As President Bush said last night: "whether we bring our enemies to justice, or justice to our enemies... justice will be done."
Thanks for a wonderful essay.
Mike (mkp51)
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Sep 21 '01
4:32 am PDT
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Thank you (Reply to this comment)
by ChrisJarmick
For letting me know you appreciated on several levels the essay I wrote.
I hope we remember to appreciate life and have compassion with every step we must make during these difficult times.
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Sep 20 '01
11:29 pm PDT
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Hit the nail on the head... (Reply to this comment)
by murasaki
...and I quote: "When you have beliefs and opinions under the guise of a religion, you become self-righteous. What was once an opinion gets molded into a manifesto and becomes an ultimate destiny. You devote your life to your cause, more so if you have little else in your life but your religion and beliefs. Your cause, your religion connects you to others through a foundation of faith and like beliefs."
This is the reason the US does not (and will not) negotiate with terrorists: it is futile to ask a zealot or a fanatic to compromise because they feel that would be compromising their version of the truth.
Great read. Thanks for writing!
--murasaki
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Sep 20 '01
6:21 pm PDT
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Christopher (Reply to this comment)
by susidee34
well thought out and very informative. A piece that all should take to heart and learn to reaffirm the values of the lives they live every day. Now is the time to strenghten our families, our bonds, our relationships. Now is the time to say 'I forgive & forget' to that slight that someone showed you.
May all take heed of your words
Susi
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Sep 20 '01
7:22 am PDT
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How are we (Reply to this comment)
by nwinston
going to reach out to those who hate and turn their fervor into something positive? Until we do, the cycle will continue.
Your review raised some great questions.
Nancy
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Sep 19 '01
7:24 am PDT
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