IN MEMORY OF 9/11
I don’t mean to remind anyone of dreadful memories, but I was deeply affected by the anniversary of that horrible day. On the day of the 10th anniversary, I wept uncontrollably. It reminded me that I have kept my feelings inside, that I have remained silent for a decade and that it is time for me to say something about it. In this forum, we stay away from politics and religion for obvious reasons, especially in this highly-polarized political environment. But America tends not to talk about uncomfortable things. Its notorious yearning for happy endings, see Hollywood’s culture, is very limiting. As a result, we may hamper the only chance that we have to understand the human experience as a whole. Human experience is about a long battle against the forces of obscurantism that want to pull back our society into a barbaric world of fear and ignorance. Our beliefs were severely challenged on that day. All of a sudden, we were facing a clash of cultures like no other. Haunting questions have debased some of our strongest foundations: Where was God on 9/11? Is religion a lust for power? Is religious fervor dangerous? Does religion support the belief that one may be better than others? Are we different than others? Whose God may want such a level of destruction? How can one respond effectively to an assault of such magnitude?
I was one of those close to ground zero on that eerie morning. Bewildered and speechless, I saw the whole thing unfolding from Fulton Street. From this horrible experience, I extracted a few pieces of insight: there are deep divisions and staggering amounts of frustrations in the world; there is pretense in the idea for God, and, more importantly; there is potential for violence within religion itself. Religion can mobilize people to do awful things. This is an undisputable factor after 9/11. What made that day different was the hijackers’ fervor and absolutism, their rapture and infatuation with killing, their deep burning fanaticism, the uncanny association of barbaric massacre with heaven. We never thought that the desolation of their lives, their desperation, lack of opportunity and brainwashing could lead to such an outcome. We were caught pants down; there is no question about it. We were completely unprepared to deal with such extreme outcome. Such level of destruction and absolutism was so beyond the bounds of human discourse, it brought our clock to a halt. Yet we dealt with it, with unprecedented social empathy and incredible acts of heroism. Perfect strangers were breaking down and hugging on elevators around town. The sense of union and compassion was so solid you could touch it. For a moment we were one.
On that day, the very existence and foundation of the modern state was brought to question by the glaring divisions between the bearers of modernity – commonly known as the Western World – and the citizens of those regions of the world, whom had been left behind by modernization. The world, our world, irreversibly changed on that day. Aside from the steep loss of human lives, the recurring, nightmarish scene of the jumpers, which I still have difficulties wrapping my heart around, the lingering issue that remains is: what are we going to do with it? I don’t mean it in a vindictive way? Have we learned anything positive from it? Can we wear our awareness with kindness? Can we afford to cave in and give into the grand plan of these fools? How do we resurge from these ashes? How do we stop chasing the losers of the world?
Let me state here that we owe to Islamic culture our science, amazing art and architecture, not to mention civil institutions such as libraries and universities. The Islam of science and secular culture is virtually unknown to its extremists. But the idea that Islamic religion has nothing to do with the hijackers’ actions, to put it mildly, is pure diplomatic garbage. The very definition of “infidels” brings my open-mindedness to a reversal of position. Please, notice that it is symmetrical to the Catholic’s definition of “pagan”. I don’t mean this affirmation as an insult to any religion – I respect all religions and their followers, as long as they can respect others. Mine is a warning against the manipulation of civility by the hand of religion. Fanaticism is unacceptable in a civil world. There is no room for it. I am making reference here to all the unspeakable crimes committed in history under the name of religion: the Crusades and Spanish inquisition were just as awful. My observations are meant as a reminder that there are deeper and imperative reasons for the separation of religion from the affairs of the modern state – all religions, including the ones we practice. Only Zen-Buddhism has not tainted itself with blood, but that is more a philosophy than a religion per se. Our forefathers knew what religion can do, and might have had forewarnings or an intuition about the folly and insanity of religious fanaticism, of which the past was full. They wrote the U.S. Constitution to reflect this fear and division. “There shall be no interference”, Thomas Jefferson once said, stating at the same time the right to religious practice. I would like to hope that we have not forgotten about our forefathers’ warning. I would like to hope that you keep their admonition in mind – especially in view of the upcoming presidential elections, which are already so steeped in religious overtones. You could pick any color or flag; this is why we love a free society. Just do your civil society a favor: leave religion at home!
I would like to think that we learned something on September 11: that our respect for human life has been heightened by the loss of so many innocent lives. I also hope that we have taken civil vigilance to the next level and that we have learned about the cost and failure of rushed retaliation, as well as, the value of courage and solidarity. Finally and foremost, I hope we have learned the pivotal importance of tolerance. We should revere those who try to better their lives, no matter what their race or origin. Let us never take for granted our freedom of speech and self-expression, and forget the dignified and noble values we carry as citizens of the civilized world. We are the guards of thousands of years of civil evolution; individually and collectively. I am yours sincerely, AGP