Painful lessons from a tragedy
September 19, 2001 | 12:00am
How do we find meaning and provide words that help make sense of that which has just hurt all of humanity? In this moment of disbelief and shock, all I can think of is how very horrible things sometimes happen to pave the way for transformation – hopefully for the better. This concept of sacrifice is not unfamiliar to us. Regardless of our respective religions, many of us were brought up to believe that human tragedy serves a purpose, whether to shock us to change, to purify or to evolve us into more enlightened beings. Think of how often unbearable pain causes us to turn to forms of spirituality and to have faith in the nobility of the human spirit.
The recent tragedy has proven how unspeakable horror and suffering can rally a people and unite their resolve. Roused in outrage, the American people have put their political, cultural and social diversity aside to act as one nation – willing to bear the burden, pay any cost, in the pursuit of restoring what they value most – the fundamental right of the individual to have his civil liberties and freedoms restored. Put to the test, the United States is drawing from an inner strength – made up not of guns – but of what is valued as decent.
Perhaps violations of the human spirit like these give humanity the rare impetus to have a commonly felt universal experience. I have often thought that the sudden deaths of Princess Diana and John Kennedy Jr. at the prime of their lives, served the purpose of uniting citizens of the world in one expression of compassion. In this case, our hearts, our minds and our spirits have become one universal heart, one universal mind and one universal spirit as we mourn the innocents who have died in this tragedy.
What if this is a precursor to a more enlightened age to come, when humanity will have transcended suffering, evil, pain and injustice, having moved on to a new era with a heightened and evolved consciousness that values love and peace? Our children might look back at history and marvel at the historic moments in the development of man when people were brought together by adversity such as this, to truly love one another.
How we apply the painful lessons brought about by this tragedy can be applied personally and at home. Just like a bougainvillea that blooms only when it suffers from lack of rain, we must look upon this sadness as our opportunity to grow. We need not look far. Let us put aside our own vested interests, count our blessings, work together, show compassion to one another, think of the good of the nation so that millions of Filipinos, who are suffering from need at this very moment, can become a greater part of a well-deserved prosperity for our country.
Please say a prayer for my dear friend Christy Ferer whose husband, Neil Levin, is still missing. My sister Linda and I had dinner with them in New York a few days before the tragedy and were thrilled at his excitement as the newly appointed head of the New York and New Jersey Port Authority. He was last seen helping his staff evacuate the 64th floor.
I appreciate your thoughts at dorisho@attglobal.net.
The recent tragedy has proven how unspeakable horror and suffering can rally a people and unite their resolve. Roused in outrage, the American people have put their political, cultural and social diversity aside to act as one nation – willing to bear the burden, pay any cost, in the pursuit of restoring what they value most – the fundamental right of the individual to have his civil liberties and freedoms restored. Put to the test, the United States is drawing from an inner strength – made up not of guns – but of what is valued as decent.
Perhaps violations of the human spirit like these give humanity the rare impetus to have a commonly felt universal experience. I have often thought that the sudden deaths of Princess Diana and John Kennedy Jr. at the prime of their lives, served the purpose of uniting citizens of the world in one expression of compassion. In this case, our hearts, our minds and our spirits have become one universal heart, one universal mind and one universal spirit as we mourn the innocents who have died in this tragedy.
What if this is a precursor to a more enlightened age to come, when humanity will have transcended suffering, evil, pain and injustice, having moved on to a new era with a heightened and evolved consciousness that values love and peace? Our children might look back at history and marvel at the historic moments in the development of man when people were brought together by adversity such as this, to truly love one another.
How we apply the painful lessons brought about by this tragedy can be applied personally and at home. Just like a bougainvillea that blooms only when it suffers from lack of rain, we must look upon this sadness as our opportunity to grow. We need not look far. Let us put aside our own vested interests, count our blessings, work together, show compassion to one another, think of the good of the nation so that millions of Filipinos, who are suffering from need at this very moment, can become a greater part of a well-deserved prosperity for our country.
Please say a prayer for my dear friend Christy Ferer whose husband, Neil Levin, is still missing. My sister Linda and I had dinner with them in New York a few days before the tragedy and were thrilled at his excitement as the newly appointed head of the New York and New Jersey Port Authority. He was last seen helping his staff evacuate the 64th floor.
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