That awful anniversary is this Saturday.
I think the part that shook us the most was the realization that we were hated so very much. The act itself was so unspeakably cruel. But the dancing in the streets froze our blood, stopped our breath.
We are a good-natured people, for the most part. The whole “live and let live” thing underlies all that we believe. Though we periodically lose sight of it, as we have these nine years since, our true north is an unshakable belief in the best in each other, that our best is always yet to be.
Our spirit of optimism has been under attack for a while. Advertising took over politics in the early 80’s and, as any good ad man will tell you, the easiest thing to sell is fear. We have been fed a constant diet of fear by politicians too lazy or maybe just not bright enough to come up with any original ideas.
Be afraid of the poor, the foreign, gay people, straight people, black people, Hispanic people, country people, city people, immigrants, conservatives, liberals, your neighbors, your government. Be afraid. We’re told over and over, cause that’s how advertising works. “They are the problem. I am the solution. Vote for me.” Dirt can’t hide from new improved Tide. It’s all the same.
Be afraid.
The relentless message eroded our best sense of ourselves and our essential goodness. Our growing fear took away our belief that we were loved like spoiled children, adored in spite of our faults. So, when the planes hit the towers and the images of people delighting in our pain filled our televisions and our front pages, we were convinced.
For a moment, when it first happened, the world was filled with a shared sadness for our loss. Love poured in over our borders. But as we slammed our borders shut to protect ourselves, we also began to wall out the love and support of those who did not hate us. Aided by the craven, the greedy and the self-interested, we have been urged to believe that “they” are our enemies and that we must band together to protect our American dream. Even against each other.
I’m sure we have enemies. We use ¾ of everything in the whole world. That’s gotta produce some hard feelings.
But honestly, we are the world’s great experiment. We are a little bit of every country in the world. We are everyone. We are attempting to live everyone’s dreams. Maybe not the crassness or the hyper-consumption, but the ideas of freedom and tolerance and compassion, the notion that all men are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights. Everyone, even the people who really do hate us, hope that’s true and in so doing, hope that we succeed. If it’s possible here, then maybe they too can live free.
The only way we can fail is to give up on those ideals. If we make Saturday a celebration of hatred, fear and intolerance, we have lost. Probably not the war, but certainly the battle.
I know how tough it is to believe in yourself when people keep telling you that you’re over, worthless, an abomination. I have lived through the fear that everyone hates me.
I’ve been gay in school in small towns in the south. I’ve been an artist in a world full of accountants. I’ve been over 50 in West Hollywood. I’ve been told by word, deed and law that “they” were my problem.
But my problem is me. If I go out into the world wearing my shit stole, I’m going to get a markedly different reaction than if I’ve got vanilla extract behind my ears. If I want to be loved, I have to be first in line. If I want to stop fearing people, I have to start treating them better.
If we want to stop being afraid of the world, we have to stop being afraid of each other. If we want to be loved, we have to behave like people we can love.
The good news is, this is an area where we already have a lot of experience.
The Prince’s Psalm and other books I’ve written are now available in all formats and platforms here: http://thedinnerpartyshow.com/albums/the-princes-psalm/
Eric Shaw Quinn 
Well said! We preach diversity in our schools, homes and offices but do we really know what the word means? Wonder what gave any of us the idea that we were better than another? Great people come in all shapes, sizes, colors, sexes, etc. … but so do bad people. Sept. 11th should be a day of mourning for the entire world as, eventually, this whole mess will affect every corner of our planet. Don’t know if you caught Larry King last night with the Imam and the discussion about the Mosque at Ground Zero – it sure brought to light that if this protest goes on that there will be retribution here and in sandland. I can imagine the Koran burning won’t help us much either. Yes, our government controls us by instilling fear in us and the media plays right into their hands. When will we learn?
My Dear Eric…
Your beautiful and thought filled words continue to inspire and give hope…so elquant and simple. It’s not that complicated is it? You manage to boil down what world leaders, politicians and most of those in power (and out, to be honest) have a hard time grasping. Love has always been the answer. Because Love is what we are. And Love is what I have for you.
Joe
Nice! I would love for you to expound on the last paragraph for twice as long as the entire article. That would inspire me, to be sure.
Hey There –
I wholeheartedly agree with your prespective. I wish people would stay away from burning the Koran as a reaction to hatred towards our country from a minority of extremists who happen to be Muslim. Violence and ignorance only perpetuates more of the same.
On the flip side, yes I often live in two different perspectives at the same time, having just watched a couple of shows over the weekend showing footage of the twin towers falling down, the Pentagon being attacked and what would have been the Capital Building being blown up if it wasn’t for some brave souls sacrificing their lives at the expensive of their own…it boils my blood and makes me want vengeance.
I guess it can be patriotic to both want peace and vengeance at the same time and have the wisdom to choose the higher path.
Thanks for the dialog.
Beautiful Eric…well said. Just the other day I was reading something that the Dalai Lama said and I thought it showed essential wisdom that would do us ALL good…”My true religion, my simple faith is in love and compassion. There is no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine, or dogma. Our own heart, our own mind, is the temple. The doctrine is compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are – these are ultimately all we need.”
Now I’m thinking of Geena Davis; “Be afraid. Be very afraid”, but also George Falconer [Colin Firth]’s speech in A Single Man, where he is talking about fear; fear is how people sell you things you don’t need, it’s why minorities get persecuted, etc. etc. etc.
But, I agree with Karen: well-said. [Also, that just makes me love Buddhism even more. I think that’s the only thing close to a religion I can trust.]
Fear and hatred are very good friends and we’ve certainly gotten a bellyfull of both since Bush, Jr.’s reign of terror enabled our domestic version of extremism to flourish.
People around the world have slowly ratcheted down their opinion of us, as Americans, as they’ve witnessed our National tolerance of our government’s unusual cruelties in unjust wars, greedy and self-serving politicans, etc. How differently we could have behaved as therefore have retained some honor in the eyes of the world.
We did nothing that justified the 2001 Attacks upon this nation. We’ve done nothing to change this hatred that was visited upon us.
And with all that, now we also have to worry about bed bugs…..