Counting up... much better than counting down, yes? Counting up and looking forward. That's what we should all be doing, but tomorrow will be 9-11-11... there will be no moving forward tomorrow. Time will stop and we'll be looking back. We'll be thinking about the thousands of lives lost. We'll be pulling images from our memories of people jumping from high rises. We'll be worrying there's more to come.
It's so sad to me that we really haven't learned how to handle each other, even after such a tragedy. The fact that they aren't allowing clergy at the memorial service speaks volumes about how little we've learned. The reasoning is understood. If they allow one member of a certain faith, they would have to include members of all faiths. There simply isn't enough room to accommodate all who want to attend.
There isn't even enough room to accommodate some of those who should be there. The policemen and firefighters... the ones who will respond should another tragedy strike. It's simply another tragedy... honoring those whose lives were lost, without our everyday heroes in attendance. Unless they have somehow managed to work it out.
I was reading a CNN story earlier about a Muslim family who lost a husband and father. The widow had a baby boy 2 days later. A baby who is now 10 and has no memories of his father, because he never met him. I hated reading about this family having to deal with the backlash of an act committed by people who shared their religious beliefs. As the widow stated, these horrific acts committed in the name of Islam, were acted out by extremists. Not all Muslims are extremists. Just like all Baptists aren't hypocritical bigots. ::shrug:: The Baptist church in our town doesn't even claim it's Baptist because of the bad rap Baptists get. How is this okay??
Religion is so divisive. SO many have died, decade, after decade, after decade, in the name of Religion, in the name of God. I will stand behind my belief that God doesn't want this of us. I would love to see members of all faiths coming together because we are all one... we are all human, and we are so incredibly fragile.
I pray nothing happens tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that, and I hope everyone has a beautiful Sunday, spent living life to its fullest and loving others for their differences as much as for their similarities!
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| We build such beautiful places dedicated to worship, why are we unable to build bridges of understanding and acceptance? |
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| A view of New York from the top of the world. |
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| She was once the color of a shiny new penny |
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| God bless America, God bless this world. |
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| The firefighter who wore this didn't survive. Many were treated in this church on this very bench. |
2 comments:
A profoundly sad posting, m'lady.
I was talking with a friend, who is also a blogger, about religion and difference. My feeling was, and is, that there are people who are guilty of taking religion out of context and using it to serve other purposes. Emphasis on "other purposes." Purposes not consistent with the stated goals of the faith. After that, anything is game.
That's what I find terribly sad. It leads to the larger loss of any sense of spirituality in our common grief. But if you can leave out the trades who "did the work" on 9/11/01 — police, fire, ambulance, etc. — you can justify leaving out anybody. If you want to do so.
Yup, we've still got a lot to learn ten years after the fact.
P.S.: On a happier note, I like your new photo.
Such deep, sad and rather unanswerable questions here.
I loved the pic of golden arching cathedral ceiling with such a profound question you've posed. Building bridges is basically the only way we are going to survive each other in this world where different means threatening and something to be shunned or destroyed.
Great post!
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