I think the reason I feel more comfortable with remembering the Holocaust, is that it reminds us always of the dangers of letting prejudice rule. I can remember Hiroshima because it reminds me of the horrors of what we think we have to do to win a war. I can remember Pearl Harbor because the memorial in Honolulu clearly remembers those servicemen who lost their lives in bravery rather than remembering an enemy. In every case, we remember something that changed the way we think, something that changed us, something we won't let happen again. In every case, the following years brought changes that lifted us.
With the 9/11 attacks, the lessons are more obscure. It feels as if we're simply remembering that we were victims. We were told by the President that we should go shopping, rather than the way Roosevelt handled it...... by saying we needed to come together, and we needed to conserve resources. This time, we only remember we were shocked, we were sad, we were frightened, and we're still paranoid about terrorist attacks. In other words, mostly what we learned is that we're vulnerable and helpless. In some cases, people are even feeling an intense prejudice against an entire religion, and an entire culture.
I'm so very much in touch with honoring the incredibly brave men and women in New York who raced into burning buildings to rescue whoever they could. Today they're on my mind, in my heart. This is what we should take away from 9/11, not the victimology. Could it happen again? yes. Can we guarantee it won't happen again? no. But nonetheless, we learned just how brave people can be, and that's what we should take away with us. Let the memory of those people lift us, rather than letting a few terrorists drag us down.
So okay, friends, this isn't about parallel Universes or the Cosmos or alternative realities. Or is it?
3000 citizens and first responders. But compared to the other events you list, it was -- do I dare say this? -- not that big a deal. It shocked our sense of invulnerability. Maybe what we need to learn, in addition to honoring the courage of the first responders, is that we are not outside the fate of the rest of humanity.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Roberta! The lessons here could be to learn and appreciate and honor diversity, rather than to be victims to hatred.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, we are not outside the rest of the world's fate, we're right there with it. May we always remember that the human condition is to try to relieve suffering, and to seek happiness. The Buddha's words, not mine.