No Story Today

I’d like to write something… I want to write something. Trouble is, I don’t trust myself to start a story because it would risk exposing the bitterness and resentment I feel towards a world that no longer holds any value in the most basic of principles held as paradigms of all civilized nations. The concepts of tolerance and acceptance in an atmosphere of non-belief, once hallmarks of our society’s quest for justice for all, gain no more than hollow recognition saved for pulpit benedictions and political stump speeches. Those who don’t accept our political and social views are now enemies when once they might have been candidates for change.

You’re either with us or against us, and if you aren’t with us, get the hell out has become our standard for both domestic and international diplomacy. The thin vernix of détente long covering our relations with the world has been pierced and a new child has emerged; a large, mewling creature with a disproportionately large mouth, healthy lungs and a nasty attitude towards anything it can’t immediately identify as a clone of itself.

How did we get here? I can remember only one event that qualifies as significant enough to change an entire nation’s outlook on the world and us: The attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. It represents the single most momentous event since the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. On that day, our society exercised fundamental shifts in all aspects of our lives, be they political, religious, fiscal or social.

In our shock and horror, we watched as our nation tried to formulate a response. On September 30, 2001, I wrote an article called “Nineteen Days”, that contained the following passages:

Rage… frustration… grief…all emotions born of atrocity. Our ability to react within the acceptable parameters of statesmanship will determine our ultimate success as we try to unite the world against the true enemy, terrorism. If we allow ourselves to give in to our desire for retribution and vengeance, are we really any different than those who attacked us?

The definition of ‘appropriate response’ will define us as a nation. We will be judged by the powerful and the weak alike, and millions will formulate their perception of us based entirely on our ability to disseminate justice founded in humanity. Last night on CNN, I watched as the truest weapon of civilization of was unloaded in Afghanistan—thousands of bags of wheat with USA emblazoned in red, white and blue. Maybe it’s not enough, or maybe it’s merely a token or a ploy. Lord knows the cynic in me thought of that possibility. But, for the first time in nineteen days, I’m able to accept the hope of a peaceful solution. Isn’t that what, in our collective heart of hearts, we all truly desire?

Of course we must show the world that such hideous crimes will not be tolerated, and of course we must demonstrate our determination to hunt down and eliminate the criminals responsible. But don’t we also have the responsibility to show the world that we are capable of measured response? Literally, the future of the world may hinge on our next move. When the international community views an action, they will see the same televised accounts we see, and they’ll judge us, because perception is often more important than reality. If we skew the world’s perception of righteous indignation, our support could quickly erode into a scenario based on the World War II historical bunker mentality that pits Europe and America against the entire Third World. If that happens, God help us all.

It gives me no pleasure to say it, but I was right. We failed to bring the responsible parties to justice so we substituted a military response in a nation that shared only peripheral accountability, if any at all. Now, over five years later, we are the society that has changed, not ‘them’. By indicting an entire culture, we succeeded only in polarizing our allies and ourselves from the rest of the world. In 2001, we had no national debt and it is now over $3 trillion. Our GNP is weakened, we’ve become a debtor nation, and we’re mired in a no-win war in Iraq-- a war that no longer has the support of the American people, a war for which our leaders have no identifiable exit strategy. Our ‘all-or-nothing, win-at-all-costs’ posturing has forced our politicians into obstinate, pig-headed positions that have resulted in victories by the majority party with no cooperation among our representatives. The enmity and resentment currently present in the halls of Congress is palatable as well as reprehensible and sad.

We are a nation divided in all aspects of our existence and I see no solutions on the horizon. Maybe that’s why there’ll be no story today.