Bellum se ipsum alet
Today was flooded with reminders that it's the 20th anniversary of 9/11. It's surprising to me that it's already 20 years! I remember, as does everyone else who experienced the day, what happened.. It was very traumatic on many levels. I was working for Citizenship & Immigration Canada, and there was a strike underway. I remember hearing about the first plane hitting the tower just as I was preparing to leave for work. It was during my pre- citizen days, when I was a lot shyer and more deferential. It didn't take long for that to fade. I also remember the fear that pervaded the office and the city: Everyone walked around in a daze, wondering if it would happen again, and if it could happen in Canada.
I was a bit more of an activist then, and I said (rather tactlessly) that what had happened was not very different from the experiences of far too many people worldwide. The person to whom I was talking was angry, and said something about "those people" (words that have always been like a red rag to a bull for me) and he wanted to "eradicate those dogs" and other such words. We had, until that day, been developing a friendship, but his remarks were enough for me to withdraw. I'm still horrified at how easily and quickly hatred can flare up and spread! There was such dreadful anti-Muslim sentiment that mushroomed then and lasted for years after! And they tried to justify the hatred by saying, "Well, it was Muslims who destroyed the towers!" Sadly, I’ve heard things like that before to justify hatred against different groups. I'm awed, too, by the bravery and strength showed by so many Muslim women who continued to wear the hijab even when faced by the dreadful things people said and did. I've tried for years to help people separate the acts of a minority from a larger group, but it's almost impossible. Many persons can identify the difference when the group is one to which they belong, but all others get tarred with a single brush! I’ll keep on trying.
The ongoing Iraq war was one of the dreadful aftereffects perpetrated by warmongers. I remember being in the UK the following year and hearing ordinary people longing for a chance to go to war against Iraq in the face of very shaky evidence, because "all of those people are the same, and they're just waiting for an excuse to kill us all." Distressing. Sentiment began to change, but that was after the war had started. I was relieved when they withdrew from Iraq, even though Afghanistan dragged on. I do wish that we (the global community) had done things differently over the past 20 years. It could have made a massive difference to many millions of people! Some arms dealers would have made less money and those who were behind the attacks might have been caught and prosecuted. (Yes, I’m naive.)
But here we are, 20 years later, having adjusted to increasingly intrusive searches before flying. We've accepted some bizarre restrictions on travel and bags; and some levels of oversight that make Big Brother look like the neighbourhood gossip! An entire generation has grown up under these "temporary" conditions, and I question their efficacy and necessity. I think that external terrorism, while still a threat, is less dangerous or imminent than domestic terror from white nationalists, "incels" and other such homegrown dangers. It would be so much easier if we could eliminate the domestic terrorists and focus on improving international relationships.. Of course, we can and should work to strengthen ties with our neighbours and broaden our circle of friends. We should also try to stop the hate-filled language when we encounter it. Don't share memes or posts that promote hatred. Let's focus on the good. Let’s hope that the next 20 years brings us closer to a Star Trek society than a Terran one!
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