Why I Remember 9/11

Do you remember where you were on 11/22/1963?

Perhaps many of you reading this do not know the significance of that day -- it was the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. For decades that one question unified a nation. I was born after that date, although not long after. I remember hearing stories of where people were, what they were doing, how that one moment in time would forever be galvanized, burned into their psyche; into the psyche of an entire nation and world. It was a day when hope was lost, when dreams were shattered. But America remembered. In his famous inaugural address he had stirred the hearts of the nation with his challenge:

My fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country

America responded. We went to the moon and did other great things. For years people remembered where they were on 11/22 because it brought them back to the hopes and ideals of a better day.

As time wore on fewer and fewer Americans remembered 11/22. We had no one moment to hold us together. Until 9 years ago today. Now we have a new question to ask ourselves:

Do you remember where you were on 9/11/2001?

But why do we remember that date? I can think of several noble reasons. We remember the lives that were lost and grieve. We remember the lives that were saved by everyday heroism, and our hearts are uplifted. And we remember the unity in New York and elsewhere, when people who were complete strangers suddenly trusted one another, helped one another, were simply there for one another.

In the past 9 years we have also chosen to remember 9/11 for ignoble reasons. We remember the Islamic Extremist Terrorists who perpetrated the atrocity, and hate them for the injustice they wrought in pursuit of religious fundamentalism. We remember out of fear of complacency -- I humbly submit it is one thing to say "Remember..." it is quite another to say "Never forget!". We remember because we've allowed bitterness and misunderstanding to twist and wrench our unity into division. The beautiful togetherness New York and all of America experienced in the aftermath of 9/11 has somehow become less about "All of us together" and more about "US against THEM".

I'd like to propose 2 excellent reasons to remember 9/11 -- they are why I make it a point to remember 9/11.

To do this, though, I need you to hear me out on a couple things, so I appreciate your patience -- this will be a somewhat lengthy post, as editing for brevity has never been my strong suit. Also, things I say here will likely ruffle some feathers and anger people. Please understand me: I'm not writing this post to be inflammatory or argumentative. I'm simply choosing not to shy away from it, because I believe it is true.

Let me start by telling you a brief story -- see if you can figure out where I'm going.

Once upon a time in a beautiful and powerful land, people were shocked and outraged when hijackers, religious extremists bent on Holy War (the worst of all possible oxymorons) invaded a great and mighty city, laying waste to buildings and innocent people, as a way of saying "We reject what you have done to our world, and we're paying you back".

Now let me tell you the same story and see if you can pick up my subtle inference:

Once upon a time in a beautiful and powerful land, people were shocked and outraged when hijackers, religious extremists bent on Holy War (the worst of all possible oxymorons) invaded a great and mighty city, laying waste to buildings and innocent people, as a way of saying "We reject what you have done to our world, and we're paying you back".

The only difference is that thousands of years ago it was the Christian Extremist Terrorists who perpetrated the atrocity, in Jerusalem, to rout the evil muslims who had taken over the city.


THE FIRST REASON I REMEMBER

I think the first reason I remember 9/11 is to stay in touch with the fact that the US against THEM mentality has been around for a lot longer than the good ole' U.S. of A. -- and to remember that what happened on that day did not make THEM worse than US -- that what we lived through on that day did not somehow make US better than THEM. America is a great country, and I'm glad I was born here. But if I make remembering 9/11 something merely patriotic, I am missing the depth and gravity of history. If 9/11 is just a reason to wave a flag, I'm somehow cheapening the human history we all share with the peoples of the world.

Not long after 11/22/1963 came 4/4/1968, when Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. I was in Memphis on that day. My parents were out bowling and my 4 sisters and I were at home. I don't have any of my own memories of that evening, but I remember it was a scary time for the city and for the country. Before his death, Dr. King had this to say about violence and hate.

The ultimate weakness of violence is that
it is a descending spiral,
begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy.
Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.
Through violence you may murder the liar,
but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.
Through violence you may murder the hater,
but you do not murder hate.
In fact, violence merely increases hate.
So it goes.
Returning violence for violence multiplies violence,
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness:
only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

Yet somehow we stay fixed on US against THEM. US against THEM is ingrained in us. Ask any parent who is simply trying to drive across town, but has to deal with "He hit me!" which is, invariably countered with "HE hit ME FIRST!"

If we try to rationalize our hate and violence by claiming it is justifiable retaliation or, worse, somehow sanctioned by God, then we are being worse than childish -- we are being lunatics, cowards; idiots.

Which brings us to today. 9/11/2010. We remember -- but how and why do we remember? We have fanatics who want to burn the Qu'ran, and people putting patriotic images as their facebook profile pictures for a variety of reasons. And we have the raging controversy about "The Mosque at Ground Zero" which sounds more like "The Moth that Ate Chicago" or something equally blown out of proportion.

You wanna hear something controversial?

You wanna know what I think?

I think it is foolish that people are outraged by a building 2 blocks away from ground zero which will contain a section set aside for prayer and reflection, sponsored by an Islamic cultural center -- when if we are really concerned about injustice, what we really ought to have right at the center of ground zero is a memorial to the Native People who were swindled out of their land by the bullies who cloaked their greed in a false religious piety to "save" the "savages". In that memorial maybe we can include places of remembrance for all the hatred we've fomented and (woe is us -- actually encouraged our friends and taught our children) to spew against the Japs, the Krauts, the Chinks, the WOPs, the Niggers, the Kikes, the Spics, the Limeys, and the Pollacks. Don't forget the Queers, the Homos, the Fags, the Dykes, the Lesbos, the Hippies, the Gypsies, and the Frogs. And over in a corner, we could have a new section for the Ragheads and the Hajis.

I say we need a place to remember how awful we have been. How awful we have been. How awful WE have been. Oh my God,

How Awful We Have Been

to other human beings because THEY are not like US so we fear THEM and hate THEM and forget that we are them; they are us.

In that famous inaugural address President Kennedy invoked US against THEM imagery with almost every paragraph. At that time, it was the Commies, the Pinkos, the Marxists that were THEM (maybe we could have a section of my suggested ground zero memorial dedicated to THEM as well). Despite this, in the 60s & beyond, we as Americans did our best to remember the challenge, and we asked what we could do for our country. I suppose this may be why for so many, remembering 9/11 is about being patriotic, about being American.

But somehow we forgot President Kennedy's next line. Immediately after that challenge to his fellow Americans, he said

My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

Freedom. That has such a depth of meaning, but I believe the deepest, truest meaning has to do with freedom from evil itself, and a freedom to love others.

Like President Kennedy, Dr. King also called us to a new hope; challenged us to a new mindset

Man was born into barbarism
when killing his fellow man
was a normal condition of existence.
He became endowed with a conscience.
And he has now reached the day
when violence toward another human being
must become as abhorrent as eating another's flesh.

Ancient tribes used to not only kill their enemies, but eat them, believing this would give them the strength their enemies had. Dr. King said that committing any violence against another human should make us as nauseated as the idea of eating their flesh.

Hmmmmm. I seem to recall reading about a teacher from long ago, before 9/11, before MLK or JFK, before the crusades. His name was Jesus and he had a large following; gaining steam. He said some controversial things though. One time, as recorded by his best friend John, he said this: "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life". You can read the whole story in context here, but suffice it to say that one comment really freaked people out, as well it should. The end of that story says "From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him."

Jesus also said that even harboring hate against someone in my heart is the same as murdering them.

And Jesus, on the same night he was betrayed and sold into hands of his executioners by one of his followers, had one last meal with his closest friends. He used the bread and the wine that night as symbols and again invoked the imagery of eating his flesh and drinking his blood, as a way of somehow gaining his strength; his very life. And then (referring, I believe, to the common act of eating a meal together) he said this

As often as you do this, remember me

Many say Jesus called us to remember his sacrifice for us, and I suppose this is true. But when I "take communion" I am also remembering the fact that I am his betrayer; that violence lives inside me and I have a choice to follow love or hate. I remember that at my core I am deeply good and made in the image of my Maker -- but that image has been savagely torn and left to tarnish from disuse.

An ancient prophet named Isaiah had a mystically spiritual yet powerfully physical encounter with God. You can read about it here. When face to face with the Maker of All Things, his response was to say "Woe to me, for I am undone." Note -- the word "undone" literally means un-made, torn-apart, disintegrated. It means blown away: like either a child blowing away a wispy dandelion or a nuclear blast blowing away a city. So why was he so undone? He goes on and says "For I am a man of unclean lips, and I come from a people of unclean lips."

Did you catch that? He didn't point to anyone else and say "THEY did stuff to ME first!" He pointed to himself first, and identified with ALL people second.

America is a great country, and I'm glad I was born here. But if I make remembering 9/11 something merely patriotic, I am missing the depth and gravity of my own depravity. If 9/11 is just a reason to wave a flag, I'm somehow glossing over my own deep impurities with a little swatch of red-white-and-blue.

So if the first reason I remember 9/11 is to identify with others and the horrible US against THEM history we all share, then


THE SECOND REASON I REMEMBER

I think the best reason I remember 9/11 is to stay in touch with the fact that I am Osama Bin Laden. I am the betrayer, the terrorist, the hater; I am evil. I remember that at my core I am deeply good and made in the image of my Maker -- but that image has been savagely torn and left to tarnish from disuse.

I remember 9/11 so I can remember that violence lives inside me but in that same moment I remember I have a choice, and instead of hate I can follow love.

I implore you to do the same, on this and every day, and I wish you Peace.

~ Keith

This is my contribution to a campaign by Sarah Cunningham, who has called on faith bloggers to offer goodwill on the anniversary of 9/11. What did you think? Please share your thoughts and feelings in the comments.

For more on Remembering 9/11, you can read some great stuff by:

Chad Estes -- Remembering 9/11

Jon Reid -- Jesus Loves Muslims: A 9/11 Letter

...and at the bottom of their posts, are further links