I believe in the power of fear......
On Saturday morning I sat with a cup of coffee and enjoyed a rare, peaceful morning listening to National Public Radio. I was blindsided by two interviews that forced the anniversary of September 11, 2001 into the peaceful day. Not that I ever forget that day. It is a day that changed everything in our world. But sometimes on a peaceful Saturday morning I am tempted to pretend it never happened.
The first interview was with a 9 year old Iraqi girl, Guffran. Her father was killed in a carjacking in Baghdad. Her anger and fear over this event in her life and the heartbreak over the loss of her father devastated me. The second interview was with a California man whose wife was on the first plane that crashed into the World Trade Center. His life without his soul mate and the mother of his children was equally devastating. In both cases, lives were forever changed in the blink of an eye, at the whim of a stranger.
Fear contaminates our whole world. There is the fear of a 9 year old Iraqi girl who must face a future without the care and love of a father. There is the fear of another attack that could kill her mother. There is the fear of a husband who must raise children without their mother. There is the fear of an unknown and uncertain future without a spouse. There is the fear of flying. But fear did not enter our world on September 11, 2001.
I believe in the power of fear. I fear having my home invaded again. I fear being held hostage and tied up again by an escaped prisoner: a stranger. The young man who created this fear must now face the fear of being attacked and stabbed in prison on his way to lunch. Fear is everywhere. In the life of a friend who fears the loss of his job. In a friend who faces heart failure. In the life of a child who is abused. Fear haunts the life of a young single mother with no job, no future, and another baby on the way. Our world is full of people who face the fear of pain, a hopeless future, or hunger and disease. As we face the 5th anniversary of September 11, 2001, we are reminded of the devastation that can happen at the hands of a few individuals. Fear births anger, pain, loss and revenge.
Fear knows no boundaries, no nationality, no class, no sex, nor no age. The power of fear drives many from community and trust of neighbors. Fear has the power to blind us to that of God in our fellow human beings. Fear has the power to suck our lives dry of peace and contentment. Fear has the power to change our lives forever.
I believe in the power of fear. Fear has the power to change our lives but it does not have the power to define who we are or how we respond to its presence. Fear does not need to define how we live or how we die. Fear can transform our world and our lives for good. We can choose to face fear; to respect, cherish and protect all humanity in spite of our fear. We can choose to see every life we encounter as precious and each relationship a gift. The fear of the loss of those relationships should not blind us to what time we do have together. We can choose to look through fear to cherish each moment we have alive, to cherish each moment with have with those we love and to see each of those moments as sacred. I believe in the power of fear to inspire us to make a difference and to engage and change our world for good.
That seems to be the only way remember September 11, 2001 and those who died, those who suffered great loss and those of us who must now live in a different world.
On Saturday morning I sat with a cup of coffee and enjoyed a rare, peaceful morning listening to National Public Radio. I was blindsided by two interviews that forced the anniversary of September 11, 2001 into the peaceful day. Not that I ever forget that day. It is a day that changed everything in our world. But sometimes on a peaceful Saturday morning I am tempted to pretend it never happened.
The first interview was with a 9 year old Iraqi girl, Guffran. Her father was killed in a carjacking in Baghdad. Her anger and fear over this event in her life and the heartbreak over the loss of her father devastated me. The second interview was with a California man whose wife was on the first plane that crashed into the World Trade Center. His life without his soul mate and the mother of his children was equally devastating. In both cases, lives were forever changed in the blink of an eye, at the whim of a stranger.
Fear contaminates our whole world. There is the fear of a 9 year old Iraqi girl who must face a future without the care and love of a father. There is the fear of another attack that could kill her mother. There is the fear of a husband who must raise children without their mother. There is the fear of an unknown and uncertain future without a spouse. There is the fear of flying. But fear did not enter our world on September 11, 2001.
I believe in the power of fear. I fear having my home invaded again. I fear being held hostage and tied up again by an escaped prisoner: a stranger. The young man who created this fear must now face the fear of being attacked and stabbed in prison on his way to lunch. Fear is everywhere. In the life of a friend who fears the loss of his job. In a friend who faces heart failure. In the life of a child who is abused. Fear haunts the life of a young single mother with no job, no future, and another baby on the way. Our world is full of people who face the fear of pain, a hopeless future, or hunger and disease. As we face the 5th anniversary of September 11, 2001, we are reminded of the devastation that can happen at the hands of a few individuals. Fear births anger, pain, loss and revenge.
Fear knows no boundaries, no nationality, no class, no sex, nor no age. The power of fear drives many from community and trust of neighbors. Fear has the power to blind us to that of God in our fellow human beings. Fear has the power to suck our lives dry of peace and contentment. Fear has the power to change our lives forever.
I believe in the power of fear. Fear has the power to change our lives but it does not have the power to define who we are or how we respond to its presence. Fear does not need to define how we live or how we die. Fear can transform our world and our lives for good. We can choose to face fear; to respect, cherish and protect all humanity in spite of our fear. We can choose to see every life we encounter as precious and each relationship a gift. The fear of the loss of those relationships should not blind us to what time we do have together. We can choose to look through fear to cherish each moment we have alive, to cherish each moment with have with those we love and to see each of those moments as sacred. I believe in the power of fear to inspire us to make a difference and to engage and change our world for good.
That seems to be the only way remember September 11, 2001 and those who died, those who suffered great loss and those of us who must now live in a different world.
posted by Pam at 10:44 PM
