September 11, 2001; A Wake up Call
By Martin Brossman
After the initial shock of the terrorist attack, I
was thinking how deeply isolated, lost, and full of
hate a man would have to be to justify committing or
organizing such terrorist events as we have seen.
I was talking to strangers
[shortly after the event] about their views on what
happened. Most were just shocked, but one man said
that this showed us how you cannot feel safe
anywhere anymore. I noted to him that this is
perhaps a wake-up call to embrace the preciousness
and fragileness of life. A wake-up call that we
cannot take for granted even a moment. A wake-up
call for the importance of enjoying the beauty and
gifts of life, for it could be taken away in a flash
or explosion. A wake-up call for us to stand up,
speak up, and be more active for what we know needs
to be changed in the world. A wake-up call that we
can live our lives as though we make a difference.
For to diminish our own lives, gives the
terrorists exactly what they want.
I think the best way to
disrupt the false belief that I, as one man, cannot
actually make a difference in the world is by
speaking, acting, and living as though I do. Many
years ago I realized that I was never going to
collect enough evidence that I could make a
difference in the world. However, I decided that,
independent of evidence, I was going to live my life
as though I can make a difference. You cannot
imagine how many things I have accomplished in the
10 years since I made that decision.
In this latest tragedy I am
praying for the dead, the wounded, the families, and
the souls that are obviously so lost that they could
actually carry out such a terrible act as this. I
hope we all will be moved to support our country in
taking the most compassionate, thoughtful, and
effective actions in response to this tragedy. |
