Twenty-one years ago today, I was on a flight from Atlanta, GA to New Orleans, LA. When I stepped on the plane, America thought itself to be at peace. The minute I stepped off that plane; I was greeted by twelve heavily armed National Guard soldiers. Immediately I knew; something had changed during the one-hour flight.
As I learned of the attacks, my sentiments were the same as every American; united in seeking justice for what we believed was an unprovoked act of violence against innocent people. Those enflamed emotions would continue for years to affect our decisions and interactions with other nations on a physical and mental level but because of the spiritual ideology of the attackers, it thusly affected our spiritual nature as well; creating ethical and moral dilemmas that would last decades.
As a people wishing to remain civilized, we should constantly strive to be ethical in our dealings with all races and creeds. To do so, we have to address issues through a selfless lens. The people who attacked the American way of life erroneously believed they were doing God’s will. The citizens of America, from a perspective of a Christian nation, did not see it that way.
Twenty years later, for what I believe to be the majority of the populace, we would like to be able to forgive and harbor no ill-will against those not directly responsible for the horrific acts we suffered through; while, at the same time, being vigilant against future attacks. We must never forget our past; our else we are doomed to repeat our mistakes but nor can we blame innocent people for what others has done. My answer, mine alone, can only be found in depths of my own heart. In reflection, I would like us to consider the story of the professor at a Christian university who asked his physics students, “Did God create everything?” The entire class replied, “Yes”.
Nodding his head in agreement, he asks, “Does evil exist in the world?” Once more the entire class replied in unison, “Yes.”
“Then assuming God is the essence of good; did God create evil and if so, why?”
The class was totally silent, with no one offered a reply. The professor looked perplexed as he strolled through the classroom aisles.
“Obviously you were not listening when we spoke about darkness a few classes back. We all agreed that there is no such object as darkness because darkness by definition is not a thing; it is a state caused by the absence of light. So, it is with evil, it is not an object to be created; what it isn’t is what really matters; it is the absence of love; a selfish state of being. If God created the Universe, He would have created objects; evil is not a person, a place or thing, it is the absence of love.”
That story has stuck with me for many years. Going back through the list of very bad people whom I have met in my life, through interviews that allowed me insights into their thoughts, it became clear that love was missing from their lives. The pain in their eyes was tangible to the point of misery. There was no hope, no joy, and definitely no love in them. As with darkness, it surrounds anything that enters its presence. When we make decisions, we have to be careful to not allow other people’s biases to affect what we know to be right and just.
As a Country, we pray and remember the victims of the 9/11 tragedies, remembering also that some whom we lost were innocent Muslims living their lives with love in their selfless hearts.
If this is my last post, I want all to know there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.
“Inquisitio veritatis”
Anthony “Tony” Boquet, Vice President, The American College and the author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary”