story8931.xml

story8931.xml

born-digital

story

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2003-01-08

I am one in a family whose members experienced September 11th very differently. Some experienced the events from as far away as the island of Hawaii while another was as close as four blocks from the World Trade Center site. We are more than a dozen siblings and spouses whose religious beliefs span the spectrum. Not only do we practice under different faiths, but the extent of our beliefs range from dedicated religious observance to unconvinced atheism.

Despite our differences, we are a close family. Like all other Americans, we have shared our thoughts with each other and tried to make sense of what happened in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania and what we should do next. Our discussions have been at times contentious, sometimes sorrowful and at other times our talks have left us in a state of despondency. As the one-year anniversary approaches, I sense our fears and feelings of confusion are becoming acute. I am reminded of the emotions that we have expressed these past 12 months: hatred, a need for retribution, anger, fear, confusion, and a lack of control.

In our email messages to one another in the days following the attack, I expressed the thought that we should not let our feelings of retribution and anger diminish our humanity. I still believe that today. We did not have a choice when the terrorists decided to attack us, but only we can choose how to respond. I do not mean a response with weapons and greater security measures, but the way in which we respond with our hearts and our souls. We need to deploy weapons, military services and security forces to help prevent another act like this from occurring again. However, if we prosecute a war against terrorism yet fail to fight the concomitant attack on our hearts and souls, we will have lost the battle that really matters. We cannot let any people or nation threaten an America where people live under democratic principles that celebrate freedom, liberty and tolerance. Bringing arms to bear against terrorism is only part of our response. We must also address the spiritual and the emotional. We must summon all our courage and bravery and not harden our hearts to those who are the natural targets of our anger. We must accept the challenge that has been laid before us and, in picking up the gauntlet, remember that what makes us great as Americans is our compassion and love.

Although we mourn the almost 3,000 lives who were taken from us on September 11th, the tragic events of a year ago will not diminish us. We have and will continue to reach for our courage and our faith knowing that our optimism, our hope and our spirit can never be extinguished.