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Okay, here it is:
GROUND ZERO
Terror was brought home to America on September 11. Up to that day, my own sense of safety was such that I disbelieved that any serious damage had been done by the plane that struck the World Trade Center. For a morning I held the notion that the plane had simply grazed the tower, loosening a few bricks and shaking up some of the passengers. Then one tower collapsed, and then the other. And took my sense of safety down with them. And my sense of the world that I thought I knew. I watched in horror as my president effectively declared war on an unknown and unseen enemy, the mass media callously --or worse, cynically-- punched all the hot buttons within their reach, and the people roiled and lashed out in grief and confusion.
What does one do after the world does not end? At the site of the fallen towers now named Ground Zero, rescue workers are literally picking up the pieces. Recovering the dead. Hoping to find survivors. They do this with a sense of urgency but also with a keen sense of caution, knowing that they are on dangerous ground.
And every person now stands in a personal ground zero, where one must now sift through the wreckage of one's former sense of safety, tumbled thoughts and feelings, rumors and false reports, facts and --one hopes-- some truth that survives. After the government and the media and the so-called "people" have had their say, the irreducible constant remains that every person makes up his own mind.
Examine everything. Many "facts" reported have turned out not to be what they seemed. Do not assume that "public" opinion is monolithic. It never has been, and it is not now. Listen carefully and you will hear other voices. Challenge your own assumptions about yourself, your country, your supposed enemies.
If it has been lost over these past few days, reclaim your own individuality and humanity. Understand that terrorists of all stripes blind themselves to the individuality and humanity of their victims, and therein evil lies. And it lies in all of us. Islamic extremists may see America as the Great Satan, and it goes without saying that Americans who indiscriminately lash out at Arab-Americans are no better. But the same goes for activists who demonize "big business interests," liberals who deride "Republicans," or elites who sniff at “the masses.” It may also be helpful to remember that "the government" and "the media" are not faceless organizations, but persons. Persons who are experiencing the same events at the same time as everyone else, and who are only human in their capacity to process information and emotion.
Do not expect to have every question answered. Resist the temptation of false answers. Respect the blanks as you would the dead. “I don’t know” is an honorable statement, if it happens to be true. |
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