Am I very different from you as I try to make sense of life after September 11th?
Like you, I am asking the questions about what really matters now and how shall I respond in a way that makes a difference.
How will I stay conscious and connected while I absorb stories of the disaster along with displays of human courage and generosity? How do I listen quietly amidst the din, both external and internal, and then heed the call to rise to my highest and best self?
This is how I am thinking these days: For me the approach is not about retaliation or governments or ideologies. For me it must be a personal and painfully honest time of re-evaluation as I look at the imagery of that day and seek the metaphors that hold a message for me.
 How like those hijackers am I?
Where in my own life do I commandeer power and authority, behaving in ways that are disrespectful of others' beliefs and boundaries?
How like those hijacked planes?
Where in my life am I reckless and callous, allowing my beliefs to crash into others, challenging, dismantling, even destroying their reality? Where am I not being "of love a little more careful than of anything"?
Can we lay all the blame at the feet of extremist terrorists, demonizing them as perpetrators of evil, without using this time to examine our own sins?
To carry the metaphor further, I have asked myself in what ways I am like the World Trade Center. How am I powerful, arrogant, a resource hog, unresponsive to those around me known and unknown? Who in my world needs to be seen and heard, to have their gut-wrenching issues known to me, one of the "haves" in a world so filled with "have nots"?
Is there a part of me like those courageous firefighters, police and rescue workers, exhibiting altruistic bravery and selflessness? Where and when do I answer the call to serve, setting aside my own needs, putting others first?
And how like the victims am I, assuming this was just another Tuesday at work? Did they, do I, remember to kiss loved ones goodbye? What remains unsaid as I rush out the door? Who needs to know how much I care, how much I love them, how precious they are to me? How much of life remains on hold, waiting, waiting for what?
Not so long ago, I thought of myself as a social activist. I not only spoke the language of justice and liberation, I showed up and was visible and as effective as I knew how to be. In recent years, events of my life, coupled with inertia and complacency, have removed me from the front lines and though I can still see the pockets of need and inequality, I am not there to help with the solutions. Before I no longer can see the gaps all around me, where must I pay attention, listen generously, offer compassionate support?
How do I restore the preciousness of each day, welcoming each as a new beginning?
What response from me, what changes must I make in my personal life, with those people closest and dearest to me, even as I call out for my country to make the right response to September 11th ?
© Louise Franklin Sheehy, Maitland, Florida, E-Mail
If you, or someone you know needs help in this process of grieving, or helping someone who has been affected directly by the tragedy, there are free manuals you can download at the International Association of Facilitators website: http://iaf-world.org
Don't Miss:
A Reader's Response (Frank) & Questions for Reflection from Dr. Phil McGraw
Important Lessons from the Tragedy by Dawn Lipthrott. |
