What a day. Sorry to ignore all of you today, but sometimes things just get in the way. In any event, a bit over a year ago, before I ever started blogging (this pile of diddlewomp only dates back to December), I decided to write down some of my thoughts over on my tiny little GeoCities site. In particular, this running essay, which I began partly as a documentary of what was going on in the days after the attacks of September 11, both for my own weak memory and as something for my kids to be able to read someday. And it partly was therapy, I guess. I will not be adding anything else to that essay after today, and since I haven't blogged anything today, I will put up the last entry here. (Nothing really profound in there, but I don't think you came here for that, anyway.)

It is now nearly a year.

Wednesday will see me back at work as usual, again doing another Design Review Committee meeting, and still in the midst of working on another silly PowerPoint presentation for a neighborhood group, and still having to wrestle with the guys downstairs to be able to keep the laptop and projector up here on this floor so we can practice.

The three younger kids are playing soccer now, the oldest is playing in the middle school band. I turned 40 back in July. Fall came early this year (or it just got too dry) and the hickory tree in the back yard looks dead rather than dormant. Kelly won on American Idol.

Back a year ago, the mood was that the world had changed in some sort of indescribable way—Americans were no longer safely isolated from the world (of course, during the Cold War we were all only about 15 minutes away from being obliterated by Russian nukes, but that seems not to count in some folks reckoning of how isolated you might be); we were no longer able to dismiss the concerns of the Arab/Muslim/Oppressed/Victim/Guy-With-A-Chip-On-His-Shoulder-and-Voices-In-His-Head communities (although it has always been open for discussion as to whether they really care whether or not we’re concerned about them, as long as we are either a) dead, b) converts to Islam, or c) willing to give them all the money we have, including that little bit stashed under the cash drawer); we were no longer able to enjoy irony (yet, we still have Bill Clinton telling us what he would do if he were the President, which he managed to avoid for eight years whilst enjoying various games of internal intern investigations); we were not alone in our suffering, as the world also felt the loss we suffered (until, it seems, we decided to actually fight back against those who murdered over 3,000 of the world’s citizens, at which time we once again became ignorant reckless cowboys, just like we were on September 10, 2001); we were no longer Democrats and Republicans, we decided to be Americans (unless we are trying to keep from getting defeated in November by the Republicans, in which case we decide that being a Democrat requires us to fall back to previously held positions that Republicans are crazed, ignorant reckless cowboys who are more interesting in bathing in crude oil and eating starving crack babies than in important things like making sure everyone votes Democratic).

So, a year away and what do we have? A world where there is still danger, and love, and happiness, and misery. A world where killing innocents is tolerated if done for the right reason, a world where exacting justice against the unjust is frowned upon. A world of sublime beauty, and terrible horror. A world where the name of God is invoked for all the wrong reasons, and seldom for the proper ones. A world where poverty, and tyranny, and hunger, and injustice continue to exist. A world where prosperity, and liberty, and plenty, and justice are not seen as a birthright of all men, but somehow are looked upon as unfairly gained at the expense of all men. A world of confidence and vigor, of hopefulness and opportunity. A world of mothers and fathers trying to rear their children in a world free from fear and want. A world in which voices clamor for action, and as many clamor for inaction. A world in which there is war, and in which there is peace.

What then? A very wise man once wrote:

1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life
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13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

16 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

17 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

(Ecclesiastes 3:1-17 KJV)

The world has not really changed—for better or worse, it’s still the same thing. Which means the horror of what happened a year ago should be remembered. Those who gave their lives should be mourned. And swift justice should be brought to those who would dare attempt such a thing again.

posted by Terry at 4:02:00 PM