Post 9-11 commentary
I didn’t watch any of the 9/11 tributes last weekend. Part of that is because I don’t watch TV as a rule so it isn’t on, even for background noise. However, I never planned on watching. I was there, in NYC, on 9/11/2001. I bore witness. I don’t need to relive it and don’t plan to relive it here. Anyone that interested in my surreal journey that day can go to the archive and click on prior years’ 9/11s. I must have recounted the story at least once.
Instead I wanted to ask the question, “Are we safer?” The short answer is no. The longer answer is that we are more aware. It’s a double-edged sword, awareness. At the airports we reluctantly participate in Security Theatre. It’s a B movie attempting a run at an Academy Award not quite realizing all it’s receiving is a bunch of rotten tomatoes, even for B movies. It hasn’t made us safer. It’s made it possible for us to catch people doing things we’ve already advertised as bad ideas. When you pay people minimum wage, provide minimum training and offer minimum support you get, wait for it, minimum success.
We haven’t degenerated into Nazi Germany. Yet. I even believe in the phrase “if you see something, say something.” But most people don’t know what they’re seeing. So many of the “crises” (sorry for all the quotation marks) that have been cited were caused by confusion and differences, not terrorism. We’re so afraid to teach our children about differences. Teaching comparative religion in grade school isn’t about what god is better but rather about how each religion chooses to honor its god(s). It’s about understanding that praying 2, 5, 8, 50 times a day doesn’t make you a terrorist. It’s about understanding that our differences are just that, differences. They aren’t wrong, they’re just different. You don’t have to agree with someone else’s faith. You can think they are total crackpots. But if they aren’t hurting themselves or others, or forcing others to believe their way, and their belief makes it possible for them to get through their day and their lives, go for it.
I have a friend who is pagan who talks about the kind of prejudice she’s faced. Each time she discusses it, I am stunned into incredulity. I believe her, of course, I just don’t get it. But I’ve heard it from others who are afraid of what paganism stands for. (To which I want to respond, LOOK IT UP!) Seriously, stop being afraid of what you don’t know and start investigating it. Understand how or if it fits into your life. Don't stop learning because the subject matter wasn't drilled into you in religious school or even secular school. Not everything we were taught was true. In many cases it was the best "truth" at the time. Remember that history is written by the victors and science is only true until someone finds a way to disprove it.
I am not a fan of fundamentalist religions of any sort. The ones that hold up a book and announce, “This is the way, the only way.” Every major religion has a fundamentalist sect or two and heaven knows the number of fundamentalist crackpot religions grows daily. What I don’t like about them is that they take away choices by taking away your ability to question. In many cases, most of the followers are not allowed to read the book. They are allowed to hear the book but not to actually read the words for themselves. They are certainly not allowed to question the theology or the leader professing it. Fundamentalist religions are popular however, because most people don’t want to think more than necessary. The average person has trouble deciding between steak and chicken for dinner much less between decisions within weightier subjects like ethics. If I am told what to do and how to think, I can focus on the day to day activities that don't require real brain power.
Cults do the same things for people only they, the cult leaders, have an ulterior motive, usually money, sometimes fame, sometimes sex, sometimes a combination of all the above. Cults are run by very charismatic people who are promising answers to the mysteries of life and who are promising that life will be easy. Fundamentalist religions do not make any claim of an easy life. Just an ordered one.
I watch people vilify Catholics because of the Catholic pedophile priest scandal. Vilify the hierarchy of the Church itself who put leadership above its parishioners. But that’s politics. Not religion. The believers of the Catholic faith were and are horrified by every aspect of the scandal. It goes against all the teachings of their savior. Although many decry the current trend toward cafeteria religion, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Many of these religions are ancient. Or are built on ancient teachings. We know more today about how the physical world works. Many rules in bibles were designed to keep people healthy and happy, not because there was a divine reason.
None of us are perfect. For every bad thing I wouldn’t do because it would offend my sense of integrity, there are 10 more I would do that would offend yours. We live in a fluid world. Murder is wrong but sometimes there are no other options that won’t leave someone dead and you’d prefer that someone isn’t you. Stealing is wrong, but when you’re starving, sometimes eating first and apologizing later is the only thing holding you together. Blanket right and wrongs, blacks and whites, just don’t cut it in the adult world. That doesn’t give us a free ride for our actions. We still must pay or at least atone for our actions. We owe explanations. Judgment always leaves room for prejudice but blanket decisions lead to even bigger inequities.
African Americans know all about being pulled over for driving while Black. Hispanics will be pulled over for driving while American. Muslims are pulled over for driving for plotting terrorism. We aren’t safer, we’re more fearful. We want someone to blame without having to look inside ourselves and ask if maybe, just maybe, our own arrogance and superiority is somehow to blame. If our desire to make the world safe for democracy, to send missionaries to spread the world of god to the savages, to export our sex and violence-filled television, video-games, internet and clothing, has made the planet a better place.
The questions are getting asked in small ways and maybe that’s how it has to happen. Tolerance has to be the word of the day, however. On all sides. The ones who don’t want to be tolerant must become extinct. It’s too small a planet for hatred. I watch what's happening in this country with our politics. I don't care what political party you're affiliated with. I don't think I care to be affiliated with any of them. I seem to have a choice of mean-spirited or stupid. We play the blame game and we're no longer shy about admitting that we have no intention of letting the other guy (or girl) win. This isn't a game, it's our lives and we all have to play.
Instead I wanted to ask the question, “Are we safer?” The short answer is no. The longer answer is that we are more aware. It’s a double-edged sword, awareness. At the airports we reluctantly participate in Security Theatre. It’s a B movie attempting a run at an Academy Award not quite realizing all it’s receiving is a bunch of rotten tomatoes, even for B movies. It hasn’t made us safer. It’s made it possible for us to catch people doing things we’ve already advertised as bad ideas. When you pay people minimum wage, provide minimum training and offer minimum support you get, wait for it, minimum success.
We haven’t degenerated into Nazi Germany. Yet. I even believe in the phrase “if you see something, say something.” But most people don’t know what they’re seeing. So many of the “crises” (sorry for all the quotation marks) that have been cited were caused by confusion and differences, not terrorism. We’re so afraid to teach our children about differences. Teaching comparative religion in grade school isn’t about what god is better but rather about how each religion chooses to honor its god(s). It’s about understanding that praying 2, 5, 8, 50 times a day doesn’t make you a terrorist. It’s about understanding that our differences are just that, differences. They aren’t wrong, they’re just different. You don’t have to agree with someone else’s faith. You can think they are total crackpots. But if they aren’t hurting themselves or others, or forcing others to believe their way, and their belief makes it possible for them to get through their day and their lives, go for it.
I have a friend who is pagan who talks about the kind of prejudice she’s faced. Each time she discusses it, I am stunned into incredulity. I believe her, of course, I just don’t get it. But I’ve heard it from others who are afraid of what paganism stands for. (To which I want to respond, LOOK IT UP!) Seriously, stop being afraid of what you don’t know and start investigating it. Understand how or if it fits into your life. Don't stop learning because the subject matter wasn't drilled into you in religious school or even secular school. Not everything we were taught was true. In many cases it was the best "truth" at the time. Remember that history is written by the victors and science is only true until someone finds a way to disprove it.
I am not a fan of fundamentalist religions of any sort. The ones that hold up a book and announce, “This is the way, the only way.” Every major religion has a fundamentalist sect or two and heaven knows the number of fundamentalist crackpot religions grows daily. What I don’t like about them is that they take away choices by taking away your ability to question. In many cases, most of the followers are not allowed to read the book. They are allowed to hear the book but not to actually read the words for themselves. They are certainly not allowed to question the theology or the leader professing it. Fundamentalist religions are popular however, because most people don’t want to think more than necessary. The average person has trouble deciding between steak and chicken for dinner much less between decisions within weightier subjects like ethics. If I am told what to do and how to think, I can focus on the day to day activities that don't require real brain power.
Cults do the same things for people only they, the cult leaders, have an ulterior motive, usually money, sometimes fame, sometimes sex, sometimes a combination of all the above. Cults are run by very charismatic people who are promising answers to the mysteries of life and who are promising that life will be easy. Fundamentalist religions do not make any claim of an easy life. Just an ordered one.
I watch people vilify Catholics because of the Catholic pedophile priest scandal. Vilify the hierarchy of the Church itself who put leadership above its parishioners. But that’s politics. Not religion. The believers of the Catholic faith were and are horrified by every aspect of the scandal. It goes against all the teachings of their savior. Although many decry the current trend toward cafeteria religion, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Many of these religions are ancient. Or are built on ancient teachings. We know more today about how the physical world works. Many rules in bibles were designed to keep people healthy and happy, not because there was a divine reason.
None of us are perfect. For every bad thing I wouldn’t do because it would offend my sense of integrity, there are 10 more I would do that would offend yours. We live in a fluid world. Murder is wrong but sometimes there are no other options that won’t leave someone dead and you’d prefer that someone isn’t you. Stealing is wrong, but when you’re starving, sometimes eating first and apologizing later is the only thing holding you together. Blanket right and wrongs, blacks and whites, just don’t cut it in the adult world. That doesn’t give us a free ride for our actions. We still must pay or at least atone for our actions. We owe explanations. Judgment always leaves room for prejudice but blanket decisions lead to even bigger inequities.
African Americans know all about being pulled over for driving while Black. Hispanics will be pulled over for driving while American. Muslims are pulled over for driving for plotting terrorism. We aren’t safer, we’re more fearful. We want someone to blame without having to look inside ourselves and ask if maybe, just maybe, our own arrogance and superiority is somehow to blame. If our desire to make the world safe for democracy, to send missionaries to spread the world of god to the savages, to export our sex and violence-filled television, video-games, internet and clothing, has made the planet a better place.
The questions are getting asked in small ways and maybe that’s how it has to happen. Tolerance has to be the word of the day, however. On all sides. The ones who don’t want to be tolerant must become extinct. It’s too small a planet for hatred. I watch what's happening in this country with our politics. I don't care what political party you're affiliated with. I don't think I care to be affiliated with any of them. I seem to have a choice of mean-spirited or stupid. We play the blame game and we're no longer shy about admitting that we have no intention of letting the other guy (or girl) win. This isn't a game, it's our lives and we all have to play.