Today is the fourth anniversary of 9/11. People occasionally ask me if I’ve “come to terms” with my anger over the taking of innocent lives.
I dunno. Let me check.
We are, right this minute, engaged in a global war. The struggle will last decades. Defeats will be documented by the world’s media while many victories will never be discussed until long after this war is over, if ever. Many of our best, our brightest, and our most noble will pay the ultimate price.
But there is one certainty. Our enemy can never defeat us as long as we have an unshakable resolve. That is both our most precious and most delicate resource. We must husband it by remembering what terrible acts were performed upon innocent people, and always consider that worse will happen if we falter for even a moment.
Today I find my thoughts turning to the only time I ever broke down and openly wept in public. I wonder what happened to those kids I met on that day, what turns their lives took, and I hope that they fared well.
But, no matter what happened, I’m sure that they did their best.
A question I raise for better minds to answer: Do all of us need that unshakeable resolve, or just the right segments of people (i.e. applicable government agencies, the military, etc.)?
Never Forget. Never Forgive.
Do all of us need that unshakeable resolve, or just the right segments of people (i.e. applicable government agencies, the military, etc.)?
There’s been a great deal of hand-wringing in recent decades over Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan. One of the things that factored in this decision was that the American voters were becoming very impatient with the war. They wanted it over, and they wanted it over ASAP.
Your own personal resolve matters if one of two conditions are met. The first is if you vote. We live in a representative democracy, and the people you help select to lead us will have a great impact in the war through the policy they set. Other issues are important, but it could be disasterous if enough people decide that they are more important.
The second condition is if you take part in the national debate. I notice that you have a blog of your own, and you have taken the time to leave a comment here.
Rest assured, it matters.
James