The Aftermath
Random thoughts on 9-12-01:
I hope some good comes out of this situation, and it serves as a
wake up call that will last for more than a few months or years. People
die everyday across the whole planet, but it's an "out of sight, out of
mind" experience until something like this happens. From the AIDS
epidemic, starvation, and civil war in Africa, to crooked cops, drugs,
school shootings, and people killing their whole families in America,
these are some hard times we're living in. But what kills me about this
situation is how cold blooded the motive was to indiscriminately take as
many innocent people off the planet in one fell swoop as possible.
America has alot of enemies, and to attack the government or military is
one thing, but to attack civilians is another.
The Dhali Lama said that we should cherish our enemies, because they
give us the best opportunity to learn and grow. The lesson I'm taking
from this experience is to value my time, speak my mind, and do my best
to shine. Alot of people waste their gifts and don't give back what
they want from others, and I'm not saying I'm innocent of that, but I
recognize it. I hope the athletes and entertainers of the world do
something to help out, and also realize that the money and fame is
secondary to the love, inspiration, and memories you leave behind when
you're gone. And maybe America will realize, albeit briefly, that it's
not about black or white because where human (I heard they wasn't
letting blacks vote in Florida, now I wonder if they won't let us give
blood...food for thought).
As far as retaliation goes, it will either be closure or the
beginning of a cycle. Ghandi said "An eye for an eye only makes the
whole world go blind", while Machiavelli said that when attacking
enemies it's best to crush them with one blow.
In that context, I don't think they'll be a world war or anything like
that if the military wipes out the group responsible, their leader, and
the government that helped him, plus becomes friendly with the new
government. I don't know if it could've been prevented, but if someone knew beforehand then this is way bigger than any JFK or MLK conspiracy theory.
Words 2 Live By:
"It was more than a tragedy
Emotions be grabbin' me
Plane fell from the sky
We tryin' to figure what happened
Burnin' churches, fearin' God
Who can be so cruel
We all ignorant to AIDS
Till it happens to you
Just be a man, make plans
Listen to your voice
A woman's tryin' to make decisions
We should leave them a choice
Cause who are we to say who lives or dies
Breathes or stops
All this judgement on other lives
Needs to stop
What are we livin' for
Givin' more back than takin'
On my knees still waitin' for my own salvation
Now I feel abandoned
Cause Pat Buchanan says I'm greedy
You can take my taxes, send me to war
But can't feed me
It's so easy to regret things
After they done
Babies catchin' murder cases
Scared to laugh in the sun
The tragedy is that we all need
Love in doses
In times like these we feel closest
The good die young"
-2Pac Shakur
