Opting Out
Opting Out
It's too quiet at Xisti these days. Seems like we have less to say to each other. I mentioned that to a friend and she said the same was true in another community she frequents. I wonder if this is in reaction to the events of September 11th? If so, I wonder how healthy that is?
Charitable groups report much lower contributions, with the exception of those dedicated to the victims of the terrorism. The ones getting lower contributions point out that their work continues but may suffer if this situation does not change. Not only are they not getting money, but there is a shortage of volunteers.
Have we become so self-absorbed that we no longer care about those less fortunate? I would hate to think so. I think we are pulling back, isolating ourselves even from those we consider friends in reaction to the fear we still experience from the ongoing terrorism. We are opting out in the hope that we will be safe if we are in control. And the only things we think we can control are ourselves.
I suppose we could let the fear of what might come next immobilize us. We could pull back from the world, isolating ourselves in the hope that we would be spared from whatever might come. But in doing so we would only make ourselves victims of those who would control us. Instead, we would be far wiser to take a proactive stance. We can look for ways we can make a positive difference in someone's life. We can give of our time, talents and resources to help raise the level of existence for someone less fortunate. We can take part in the political processes of our nations and demand that our leaders be responsive to our needs.
We may not agree with all aspects of the war on terrorism, but we are afraid to say so ... that would be unpatriotic and would provide support to the enemy. We may not agree with political issues, but everyone is so focused on one issue that they don't see any others. We want so badly to be safe that we are willing to give up some of our hard won freedoms. And therein lies the danger. We would do well to remember the words of Benjamin Franklin: "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Opting out of the world is never the answer, no matter how attractive it might be. It usually leaves you at the mercy of anyone who takes action for good or evil.
The things that concerned us on September 10th are still valid. We still have a huge percentage of our population who are uneducated and unemployed. Many of these are never reflected in published statistics. There are people in our country who go to bed hungry. There are people who have been homeless for years. This is not a reflection on those people, but it is a terrible reflection on us and the society we have created.
We need to wake up and take action. I wonder how many people realize that in the space of twelve months our nation has gone from one pondering how to use a huge budgetary surplus to one that will soon be talking about deficit spending? Think I am wrong? What do you suppose will be the long term effect of the devastation in New York, the bailout of the airline industry and the war in Afghanistan? We need to remember that there are still people who need help, who were victims of our failure as a society long before September 11th.
There is so much we could do if only we would. You may think this is not the time to be talking about effecting change. There will never be a better time. But as long as we stay isolated, unwilling to come out of our safe cocoons, we run the risk of becoming victims, too.
Artistry
12/31/01
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