Struggling with Our Discomfort
September 18, 2001
7:11 a.m.
A lot of people are very uncomfortable right now. Gee, I wonder why? They are uncomfortable with George Bush being in charge, or they are uncomfortable with the idea of civilian casualties, or they are uncomfortable with their local security, or uncomfortable with American citizens unconscionable actions against Muslim Americans. They are uncomfortable with the United States being the biggest fish in the global pond. They are uncomfortable giving Rudi Guliani the kudos he rightly deserves for his leadership. They are uncomfortable with Jerry Falwell (as if they weren't already?) They are uncomfortable with the images of Palestinian celebrations while men and women lie bleeding in rubble, but even more uncomfortable with the idea of making those same celebrators suffer a similar fate. It is a very uncomfortable time.   After Brigid's example, I keep coming back to "but what can I do?" I recommend we take a deep breath and give our leadership a little leeway to do their jobs. George Bush is the president. He is an American at heart, and I don't believe either he or the congress have any more desire than any other president would (say, Bill Clinton or Al Gore) for a scorched earth policy. One of the problems that I see in American politics is that the public has a tendency to bucket our leaders into "Good" and "Evil" when the truth is generally that most of our leaders are truly Good, but that they are often in things for themselves. That's a whole different rant. I trust George Bush to do the right things. I trust Colin Powell to keep a level head. It appears both of these things are happening, so that gives me hope. I would trust Bill Clinton if he were in this spot, and I would trust Al Gore. So, what can we do? We can let the talking heads yap. Let those who are angry talk about nuking and carpet bombing and all that crap. Let's not rise to that bait. To argue it violently gives it too much credence. As a farmer once said, fighting with a pig is a bad practice because you both get dirty, and the pig likes it. I read a bit this morning that said the American public is struggling over whether they have the stomach to kill innocents. That may be true, but what I really think we're struggling over at the highest levels is whether we're willing to suffer the American casualties that a ground assault will certainly sustain. I don't believe the Bush finger hovers over the red button. Do you really believe that the United States of America will nuke Afghanistan in retaliation for this? I don't. I see a big difference between the situation we faced in 1945 and the one we face in 2001. I believe our leaders see that difference, too. So I think we should wait that one out. Take a deep breath. What else can we do about our discomfort? What about Islamic relations in our home cities? I fall back on a letter Brigid got in response to her entry. It was from a woman who had apparently lost several friends to the WTC blast. She went, that night, to a Muslim mosque and presented a rose. If you're uncomfortable about the few unstable folks in our midst who lash out, I suggest you follow this woman's example, and do something to heal those wounds. If you feel so devastated and upset about these acts, go to a mosque. Do it tonight. Your actions will speak so much more strongly than your words. I suppose I should mention that this woman who wrote Brigid such a wonderful, caring letter was of Catholic faith. I also think we have to come to grips with what it means to be the big fish in the little pond of the globe. Being the big fish gives us power, and it gives up responsibility. In some ways it gives us parental responsibility. I'll admit to being put off a bit by those who say we "brought it on ourselves." This, I think, misses a very large part of the picture--one that I would have to spend hours writing about before I could adequately convey it. I will try to sum up my feelings in one line: Just because a child is upset or crying, doesn't mean the parent was wrong. I'll admit, I don't know what to do about Jerry Falwell. Perhaps the worst thing we can do to a man who makes comments like that is to ignore him. That would be my suggestion. It won't work, of course. But it makes me feel superior, and in the big picture I don't think Jerry has his finger on the nuclear button either. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. It's a very hard time to "do what's right" because everything is up in the air. So, I suggest, in the end we use Stephen Covey's "pause button." Take every event, and withhold our response until we've had time to run it though the filters of our worldview. It's really okay to not be able to understand something like this at first blush. When something makes us uncomfortable, I think it can mean we haven't figured out what our worldview is, or that we're going to change our worldview a little. In the end, we follow our gut feelings. That's okay. Because in the end I think we have dreams that are a lot more common than sometimes our politics and our economic stratas will let us admit. The American culture has a definition of right and wrong that is different from those that attacked us. We need to respond in some fashion. I think everyone knows that. And in the end, despite all the differences between us that until last Tuesday seemed so huge, it is those hopes and dreams that he have in common that will guide us to what is right. So we try to get back to "normal." Ha ha. I have, like Mike Jasper, been true to the September Dare. I've managed to put in my hour or more every day. I've completed the read through of Glamour of the God-Touched, which lost about 25 pages in the process, but which I think is better for it. I've spent some time clipping Bill Rowland's "Willing." Now I'm settling in to look at commentary Lisa (the wife/copyeditor, not the friend/writer) provided to the SF book. Guess two hours each week day, four-five each weekend day.  Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
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"The most important thing is to stay united. I hope Americans will also be tolerant and responsible in their reactions to these events." Bill Clinton (cribbed from Jenn's page) |
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