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September 24, 2007
Governor's comments made a valid point
The Lowell Sun
Article Last Updated: 09/23/2007 06:37:23 AM EDT
Gov. Deval Patrick drew harsh criticism from Sun editors for comments he made during the recent 9/11 memorial observance. However, it seems to require considerable rhetorical gymnastics to construe the governor's remarks as trivialization of the event or as an attack on the victims.
The offending statement? "Because among many other things, 9/11 was a failure of human understanding. It was a mean and nasty and bitter attack on the United States. But it was also about the failure of human beings to understand each other, and to learn to love each other. And it seems to me that that lesson and that warning is something that we must carry with us everyday."
There is certainly a more straightforward understanding of the governor's words: Violence in general, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks in particular, reflects a basic lack of human understanding and love. People who take the time to understand each other and love each other do not intentionally harm one another.
The point is not whether bin Laden or the 9/11 terrorists had some superficial understanding of American culture; it is whether they -- or any of us -- truly has a deeper understanding of our common humanity. It is clear that the terrorists lacked this deep understanding, otherwise it would have been impossible for them to carry out the attacks. Yet only through such deep understanding, which is itself indistinguishable from love, can we each do our part to prevent atrocities like 9/11 from happening over and over again.
It is essential that we acknowledge the evil of 9/11 and the suffering of the victims, their families, and indeed the nation as a whole. But in order for any of us to truly heal we must also be able to take the larger lesson to heart: In order to end the cycles of violence we must call upon our own capacity for deep love and deep understanding. As we try to move forward from the trauma and tragedy that was 9/11, we must never lose our compassion for any of our fellow human beings, no matter how difficult this may seem.
TIMOTHY LITTLE
Lowell
Posted by Admin at September 24, 2007 11:15 AM
Comments
Eloquently said. Thank you.
Posted by: Cathy at September 26, 2007 12:33 PM
