9/11/2020
I was sitting in a coffee shop in New Braunfels, TX, when someone came in and said, “somebody just flew a plane into the World Trade Building in New York!” I looked at the group of mostly retired people who just shook their heads and began talking about how idiotic the world had gotten; then, did you hear if anyone was killed?, how big was the plane?, etc. I was about to leave anyway, so I headed home. My daughter was sitting in front of the TV watching the video of it and it was only then that I realized it was an airliner, a big plane, that hit it. I sat with her and then the second plane went into the second tower. It was a sickening feeling of disbelief that came over us both. Who could have done this? and like the old people in the coffee shop, How crazy has this world become?
For several days after the “9-11” event, there was almost a reverent awe in the obvious terror NYC and secondarily all our nation went through. The Washington, DC plane became the news; then the Pennsylvania heroics became known. Soon, and for weeks or months, the event, the politics, the response by our nation, and the sympathetic minds of most Americans were the only things to be universally spoken of in all forms of communications: one on one, phone conversations, small groups, prayer groups, even bible study groups, and church services. Most all emails had some reference to either the event or prayers and sympathies toward those affected. Stories of the heroisms, or the extra- or back-stories concerning many who had been killed in the line of duty and much more was dominating all other day affairs. Sports teams took mourning breaks from their schedules, society events were cancelled and large gatherings were shunned or cancelled for a while. We mourned, as a nation.
Then, resolve stepped in, “we will retaliate!” began to be cried. And so we did. We stepped into a multi-nation excursion to get the perpetrators. We probably got them, but it began right there in the rubble of aftermath where the two buildings had stood so tall and straight, and it carried on through a totally politicized “segue” that led our country into an almost two decade war. As we near the 20th anniversary (one year from today), it looks like we can see the end of those excursions and not have many thousands of our young people in harms way every day… It looks that way…I really hope all those who indulge the ripping apart the bodies of young men and women are done with it. This sort of military activity can be colored with many different palettes and brushes, but at its base it simply means the loss of young lives for the benefit of hardly anyone. Let’s see if we have found any authoritarians who, by recounting a little more than 100 years of “wars and rumors of wars,” make proper decisions to not repeat in this century what took up most all the last century.
Those in the world who are my age and a little older can remember the resolve after the second world war and wonder what went wrong with it. My first recollection of the events in the decade I was born (1940s) was how many people who were killed or injured in the war and how they were spoken of and then as a few years went by, how they were not spoken of anymore: the memories of the tragedies fades. How sad, yet very true. Early in life I heard the byline, “history repeats itself” and yes, even the horrible history repeats itself. By the time I started school we had already decided to enter into a war that could not be won, by a leadership team which had “won” in Europe and was sure they would “win” in Korea—for the good side!
We partially extricate ourselves from that one, and before another decade had started we inexplicably entered another—this one lasting way longer than even the “world war!” At about the end of the Vietnam war, my sons were in their teenage years. They were supposed to “register” in case there had to be a draft for another war. They didn’t and I could not have made them do it. What had I seen that would have made me support such a thing? Nothing. Did I wish for them a military career? No. I would not have opposed it, but I could not urge it or even suggest it. And I’m very glad they chose other paths. I don’t feel less patriotic because of that, I feel MORE patriotic. How can one believe it is a good thing to be in wars that are not won nor even finished? We still have a military presence in Korea, and we with tucked tail left Vietnam for the communist regime to rule over (that’s called losing a war), a result we should have seen coming before it ever escalated.
My hopes and dreams for my 6 grandchildren have as the only caveat: stay out of political dreams that lead to wars. You cannot win, even if your side wins. The best hope is not about this world. This world is not our home. Home is where your family and friends are. To be a part of this world carries with it an absence of the sense of the next world we enter. What happens when you die? Where goes the essence? That part of you which deep down you know exists inside of you, what happens next to it? Do you want to know? Consider the only textbook ever written which can possibly be the truth: the King James Bible. There isn’t an old-fashioned chapter or verse in it, and about 85-100 pages is actually written about your life—study Romans through Philemon for that: see what the Lord God of the Universe says to you there. Repeatedly, there is the offer of an understanding of “how” Jesus Christ has provided; a peace that can be yours and never go away, and a promise of an eternity in whatever the glory to follow is. Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He was raised from the dead for the clear picture of what comes next and how that promise can include you. Trust Him today. That’s not religion, that’s anti most religions, even the ones who claim to name Him as their reason to exist. Don’t join a church; trust Christ. Don’t change your life and then expect God to receive you; trust Christ. His perfected love cuts out all fears, even if the world around you seems to be falling apart.
Thanks for reading, the Elder
the Elder's Blog 