सत्याग्रह
As the fifth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, many of the nation’s values — tolerance, forgiveness, personal freedom, perhaps even courage itself — remain trapped in the wreckage.
It may take another anniversary, another 9/11 — Sept. 11, 1906, to be precise — simply to remind us of what lies buried beneath the fear and cynicism, the ignorance and politics; and, even more importantly, to wake us up to the urgency of reclaiming those values and healing as a nation.
Led by a president incapable of protecting us but eerily adept at exploiting tragedy, we went off on a howling revenge quest against “the axis of evil” and proceeded to compound the horrors of 9/11 worldwide — turning this day into an excuse for torture and wiretapping and the indiscriminate “shock and awe” bombing of a country that had nothing to do with what had happened.
Around the country, and particularly in New York City, the wakeup call is about to be sounded, as grieving Americans — grieving as much for the future we’re bequeathing our children as for the past — proclaim 9/11 a day of healing and peace, not revenge. The memory of Mahatma Gandhi will help drive the message home.
सत्याग्रह