open letter
Feb. 12th, 2003 10:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
coyotegoth(This began as a letter to my nephew, Patrick; however, although he's incredible smart, he's only eight. Accordingly, it's changed into an attempt to codify my own thoughts and feelings- and now, a post.)
Dear Patrick- My thoughts are very much wi th you on this evening, and Massachusetts has never seemed so far away. I've been sitting here reading about increased states of alertness- about soldiers carrying machine guns on patrol in midtown Manhattan- of desperately frightened people who think duct tape and saran wrap will save them from the end of the world. The atmosphere here- and where you are, too, no doubt, although I'm sure your mommy and daddy are shielding you from the scariest parts- is permeated with fear. Here at my office, my coworkers have been engaging in gallows humor all day- jokes about terrorists making dirty bombs from second hand X-ray machines they bought on eBay, and the like. It's straining at my nerves, until I force myself to sit here and type, rather than giving into panic.
I won't lie to you: we are living in incredibly uncertain times. Our President is a man who thinks that intrusion in the affairs of foreign nations can somehow solve the problems that such intrusion has caused. He does not seem to grasp what will surely be one of the salient facts of 21st century terrorwar: In a world where mass weapons of destruction are so prevalent that university students design and build them as part of their college theses, to cow the leaders of their nations is not enough. Any driven, reasonably intelligent individual could- as we have seen- engineer the deaths of thousands of people, and would only require the money and the will to do so. The brute force techniques America has been relying on to intimidate foreign nations will not rectify this; they will merely fan the flames of resentment against America's perceived arrogant ways, and sow the seeds of a hundred successors to Bin Laden- men and women who will go into battle knowing that it can be done- that America can be hurt.
If we are going to forge a future for ourselves that will last longer than squabbles over rapidly-dwindling energy reserves, we ned to modify these behavior patterns- to place an emphasis on healing and cooperation, not the domination of all whose opinion differs from our own. (Note that I'm not preaching negotiation with these terrorists- Bin Laden and his followers must be brought to justice, and tried for their crimes before the eyes of the world, as must any who engage in such crimes. There is a difference, however, between serving the causing of justice, and using "justice" as a rubric for furthering one's relentless self-interest.)
I wish I had a suggestion of how to do this, or indeed, more consoling words in general. The human race's great flaw has been its inability to have responsibility keep pace with technology; to consider the consequences of actions as readily as we open a checkbook, or cock a gun. Am I scared? Of course I am; I've been feeling woefully familiar stress-related aches and pains for days now. I look out the window at the East River, and think of the UN, mere blocks away, and my heart flutters like a raven in my chest. Such a wonderfully complicated machine, this city, and so delicately put together.
I wonder about what the future holds, about North Korea and its ilk, and the children of Bin Laden hiding in the hills of Libya and Afghanistan (and German and London and...). I am inclined- foolish optimism, perhaps- to think that our generation will not see the nuclear apocalypse we were schooled to expect over and over, in books such as Alas, Babylon and movies like The Day After. In these days of terrorwar, isolated strikes seem more likely: dirty bombs, nerve gas, various biological horrors. Terrifying prospects- but we have seen war before.
I in no way espouse war- particularly not as promoted by our current administration- but I can accept that possibility as the cost of living as an American in this place, in this time. It seems to be that the true war we- every New Yorker, every American, every sane human being- will be fighting in the days to come will be a war of the spirit- a battle against the forces of fear, and panic, and of our own inner darkness. At times like this, it gives me succor to remember the images of courage and bravery we have already seen since this war began: unarmed passengers who revolted against their hijackers, forcing their plane to crash prematurely and saving untold lives in the process. Firemen, who ran up smoke-choked stairs, knowing the towers were beyond rational hope, but striving to buy one more second. One more life. Unending men and women who wore no uniform, but who acknowledged that they were facing their greatest fears, and refused to be cowed by them. Yes, these are times in which we know fear, and continue to know it. However, we can refuse to give into that fear- to acknowledge that we are afraid, but to continue living our lives as we wish- to refuse to allow thieves in the dark to take away our hope. Go to sleep now, rest to be strong for tomorrow's challenges, and know that I love you.
Dear Patrick- My thoughts are very much wi th you on this evening, and Massachusetts has never seemed so far away. I've been sitting here reading about increased states of alertness- about soldiers carrying machine guns on patrol in midtown Manhattan- of desperately frightened people who think duct tape and saran wrap will save them from the end of the world. The atmosphere here- and where you are, too, no doubt, although I'm sure your mommy and daddy are shielding you from the scariest parts- is permeated with fear. Here at my office, my coworkers have been engaging in gallows humor all day- jokes about terrorists making dirty bombs from second hand X-ray machines they bought on eBay, and the like. It's straining at my nerves, until I force myself to sit here and type, rather than giving into panic.
I won't lie to you: we are living in incredibly uncertain times. Our President is a man who thinks that intrusion in the affairs of foreign nations can somehow solve the problems that such intrusion has caused. He does not seem to grasp what will surely be one of the salient facts of 21st century terrorwar: In a world where mass weapons of destruction are so prevalent that university students design and build them as part of their college theses, to cow the leaders of their nations is not enough. Any driven, reasonably intelligent individual could- as we have seen- engineer the deaths of thousands of people, and would only require the money and the will to do so. The brute force techniques America has been relying on to intimidate foreign nations will not rectify this; they will merely fan the flames of resentment against America's perceived arrogant ways, and sow the seeds of a hundred successors to Bin Laden- men and women who will go into battle knowing that it can be done- that America can be hurt.
If we are going to forge a future for ourselves that will last longer than squabbles over rapidly-dwindling energy reserves, we ned to modify these behavior patterns- to place an emphasis on healing and cooperation, not the domination of all whose opinion differs from our own. (Note that I'm not preaching negotiation with these terrorists- Bin Laden and his followers must be brought to justice, and tried for their crimes before the eyes of the world, as must any who engage in such crimes. There is a difference, however, between serving the causing of justice, and using "justice" as a rubric for furthering one's relentless self-interest.)
I wish I had a suggestion of how to do this, or indeed, more consoling words in general. The human race's great flaw has been its inability to have responsibility keep pace with technology; to consider the consequences of actions as readily as we open a checkbook, or cock a gun. Am I scared? Of course I am; I've been feeling woefully familiar stress-related aches and pains for days now. I look out the window at the East River, and think of the UN, mere blocks away, and my heart flutters like a raven in my chest. Such a wonderfully complicated machine, this city, and so delicately put together.
I wonder about what the future holds, about North Korea and its ilk, and the children of Bin Laden hiding in the hills of Libya and Afghanistan (and German and London and...). I am inclined- foolish optimism, perhaps- to think that our generation will not see the nuclear apocalypse we were schooled to expect over and over, in books such as Alas, Babylon and movies like The Day After. In these days of terrorwar, isolated strikes seem more likely: dirty bombs, nerve gas, various biological horrors. Terrifying prospects- but we have seen war before.
I in no way espouse war- particularly not as promoted by our current administration- but I can accept that possibility as the cost of living as an American in this place, in this time. It seems to be that the true war we- every New Yorker, every American, every sane human being- will be fighting in the days to come will be a war of the spirit- a battle against the forces of fear, and panic, and of our own inner darkness. At times like this, it gives me succor to remember the images of courage and bravery we have already seen since this war began: unarmed passengers who revolted against their hijackers, forcing their plane to crash prematurely and saving untold lives in the process. Firemen, who ran up smoke-choked stairs, knowing the towers were beyond rational hope, but striving to buy one more second. One more life. Unending men and women who wore no uniform, but who acknowledged that they were facing their greatest fears, and refused to be cowed by them. Yes, these are times in which we know fear, and continue to know it. However, we can refuse to give into that fear- to acknowledge that we are afraid, but to continue living our lives as we wish- to refuse to allow thieves in the dark to take away our hope. Go to sleep now, rest to be strong for tomorrow's challenges, and know that I love you.
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no subject
Date: 2003-02-12 08:15 pm (UTC)Nailed it ...
Date: 2003-02-13 05:46 am (UTC)My gods. I've been thinking along these lines, and looking for the words to express it. In this paragraph you've nailed it.
no subject
Date: 2003-02-13 07:19 am (UTC)I'm gonna print this and read this in SS during our debate about the war with Iraq.
~huggles~