Shock, sadness, grief, anger, hatred, revenge, surprise, astonishment, vengeance, fear, horror, relief, pride, battle cry! These are the many thoughts and feelings that went through minds and hearts when our New York Twin Towers were struck on 9/11/2001.
We are now coming to the tenth year anniversary of 9/11 and we remember. Memorial services, TV and radio specials, site visitations, and moments of silence are all part of it. We pay our respects, remember our lost, and honor the many who gave their lives in service to land and country.
Ten years! A full decade has now gone by. We’re all ten years older. 2001 wedding couples are now celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary. 2001 newborns are now ten-year-olds. Five to nine-year-olds back then are now well into their teens. And those who were teens back then are now twenty something year olds, some have married and may even have their own set of children by now. Time has passed. A lot happens within a decade.
So, in terms of 9/11 we probably should ask: what have we learned, what have we done since then, and how are we doing, ten years later?
How do we answer that last question, ‘how are we doing’? I suppose it depends on what we mean by the question. For example, financially speaking (jobs and the economy) we’re not doing so well. What about militarily and defense wise? Are we more secure, do we feel more secure? We’re certainly paying a hefty price for it.
But given the loss that we suffered back in 9/11 are we a better nation for the experience? That is, have we grown in maturity, have we become wiser perhaps even more spiritual, for example? Are we stronger – emotionally – as a people? Are we more at peace within ourselves? Are we more balanced, do we have more internal equanimity, have we become a more fair and just society as a result of 9/11? Or, are we more frustrated than ever, bitter, angry, unsettled, distraught, lacking peace and stability? My sense is that, as a people, it’s the latter, especially respecting the effects of 9/11.
As a direct result of 9/11 we have started two wars for which we did not fully count the cost, and there is still no sign of closure within sight. Many more American lives have since been lost, crippled, or maimed, and the financial cost of these wars (in the trillions of dollars) will be with us for decades to come—and for what exactly? What are we after? Is it justice, revenge, security, payback that we are after? Have our wars brought the closure that we needed and wanted, given our 9/11 loss?
I submit that we are not doing well internally as a people, as a nation, because of the way we chose to respond to the attacks in the first place. We responded with a hot-blooded knee-jerk reaction wanting immediate vengeance. Was it worth it, starting these two wars? Sure, almost ten years after the fact, we finally got Osama Bin Laden, but by then it was an anti-climax, a small ripple in this huge war wave we started.
And so now we are angry at the loss of jobs and the continuing downturn of our economy. And doesn’t the cost of these two wars that we’re in, have something to do with our huge deficit? Of course it does. And now, instead of fixing problems, our politicians would rather use every issue as a platform for making ideological statements rather than stepping-up-to-the-plate to make smart and effective social economic policy. Frustrated and distrustful of our government, we are divisive, defensive, accusatory, mean spirited, and non-cooperative.
In short, we are NOT doing well, internally. We are not at peace within ourselves. We do not seem to have grown wiser. It seems that we now lack that old fashion depth of spiritual character that we describe as being a people of peace, patience, kindness, goodness, respect, gentleness, faith, hope, and love. Why? Perhaps it’s because we chose to take revenge and trust in military might rather than trust in the mercy and grace of God to do what is right and good.
In this tenth Anniversary of 9/11 might we not do well by reflecting on God’s admonishment to His people as told through his prophets and apostles?
Psalms 33:12-19
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance. The Lord looks from heaven; he beholds all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashions their hearts alike; he considers all their works. There is no king saved by the multitude of a host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. A horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.”
Romans 12: 17-21
“Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lies within you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay says the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Zechariah 4:6
“This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”
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