 |
Reflection
Hug
your children.
Seriously
- after spending the better
part of the last few weeks
earnestly reflecting on the
tragedy of September 11, 2001,
that's the best I can come
up with. It has been one year
since that ghastly day, one
year since I sat helpless
and horrified in front of
my television while thankfully
my three year old daughter
concerned herself with nothing
more complicated than the
absence of a green lollipop.
And like everyone else in
this country who has a column,
a television show, a record,
or a soapbox, I feel obligated
to comment on that terrible
day.
So
- hug your children.
I've
come to realize that maybe
this event can't be placed
in perspective yet. In many
ways the long-term effects
of the tragedy are only beginning
to make themselves known.
We are very much a nation
still coming to terms with
what happened.
Sure,
some things changed in an
instant. Inside of an hour
the New York City skyline
was irrevocably altered, and
the collapse of the towers
forever changed our own view
of our nation. Our sense of
security within our country's
borders suddenly evaporated
- we stopped feeling safe
in big cities, in small towns,
or anywhere in America. Tens
of thousands in our nation's
military were shipped out
into the midst of peril. Even
beyond the obvious sacrifice
of risking their lives on
foreign soil to defend our
freedom, these selfless souls
have spent months a half a
world away from their families,
their friends, and their lives.
And most importantly, there
was the sudden and tragic
silencing of the voices and
spirits of thousands of mommies
and daddies, brothers and
sisters, friends, neighbors,
lovers and acquaintances.
So
- hug your children.
For
me and my fellow so-called
Generation X'ers, September
11th, like Vietnam for my
parents or World War II for
my grandparents, forever changed
our view of the world. Large-scale
atrocities have not been a
part the lives of many of
us born in the late sixties
and early seventies. Oh sure,
there was the made-for-television
special called the "Gulf
War," but that resembled
more video game than reality.
But with one single horrific
September act, my generation
could no longer believe that
we were living in an age that
had evolved beyond barbarity.
So
- hug your children.
Many
of the shockwaves of September
11th, however, have yet to
be fully felt. Despite an
almost year-long military
campaign, the ring-leaders
of the terrorist attack still
remain at large with no solid
leads on their whereabouts.
After loads of rhetoric and
several new bureaucracies
aimed at making us feel safer,
we are constantly warned to
remain on high alert. And
even with unparalleled civil
rights and privacy infringements,
there is no real sense that
we are any safer today than
we were one year ago.
As
a father, the sheer magnitude
of the tragedy coupled with
the lack of resolution leaves
me with a nagging sense of
helplessness. What can I possibly
ever do to protect my children
from events like these? How
can I make the world safer?
Is there anything that I can
do? A year later and the questions
still linger, awaiting answers
that don't come. Not yet anyway.
So
- hug your children. If you
don't have children, hug somebody
else's children, or your neighbors,
or your friends, or your pets.
Love your family. Live your
life completely. And with
your actions, reaffirm daily
the joy of living in a country
that values the rule of law,
moral responsibility, and
personal freedom.
Maybe
for now that's all we can
hope to do.
This
column © 2002 Lee Totten.
|
