Our celebration—or consternation over football scores of the previous weekend were eclipsed for all time, at 9:11 on 9-11-2001. Four jetliners loaded with passengers and fuel took off in New York City. 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked the four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States.
Two of the planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C.; the fourth plane crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The events of that day triggered major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defined the presidency of George W. Bush. A war on terrorism ensued, resulting in the longest, costliest, if not the most brutal, war in the history of the United States. A president was blamed for starting the war—(he is a Republican); a president was blamed for ending the war—(he is a Democrat). It is a metaphor for how conflicted we are as a nation.
Substantial solutions are not simple; they are seldom quick. Our culture wants both. We are addicted (if that’s the correct term) to instant-everything. The COVID-19 Pandemic is yet another chronicle of our impatience. We want it done now. We want it simple and easy. We tend to resist paying attention; to pay attention requires in-depth involvement and usually pulls us away from our fantasies. It is hard to pay attention to the difficult.
One of the temptations the Devil laid on Jesus was to have the Kingdom of God instantly. It is a human temptation; we want quick, clean, achievement of a worthy goal, to have it right away—especially if it comes without sacrifice. But creating what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called “The Beloved Community,” does not come easily or without significant i.e. meaningful, sacrifice. Jesus told his disciples how difficult this is. He said love is the key; not easy but it is essential. He illustrated the cost of love with his own life.
I do not pretend here to have answers. I do have Hope. The Apostle Paul assured the church at Rome that there is Hope in spite of difficulties— even in the midst of difficulties. “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” from the movie Carousel is a poetic illustration knitting together Jesus’ teaching and Paul’s attitude;
When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Tho’ your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on with Hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone. (Emphasis added).
“It is hard to pay attention to the difficult.” What a simple, yet profound, statement. Humans tend to want life to be easy. It isn’t. But losing hope is the worst approach to take, Thank you for this thoughtful blog post, Willis.
Thank you Dottie! Comments like this from you, an accomplished writer, thrill me.