 Coping
with the 9.11.01 Aftermath
Aftermath
A letter by Irene Weiser to all members of the StopFamilyViolence.org
For the past 2 years, I have been participating in programs at the World
Trade Center on a regular basis - programs that are about the possibility we
each have to make a difference, to contribute, and to make a world that works
for everyone.
It is with utter shock and dismay that I sit here today, knowing that those
glorious, glistening buildings, and the vibrancy and vitality of the countless
people who spent their days there has been destroyed. I have learned that my
friends are safe, but I mourn for the many, many others whose lives have been
lost, or whose fate is not yet known. My heart and my prayers go to all of you
on this list and beyond who are the victims and survivors of this senseless act.
While the loss of thousands of lives is hard to comprehend, the loss of our
innocence as a Nation is even harder to fathom. We can no longer deny our
vulnerability - we have been violated, and we all know it can happen again. As a
country we will never again feel safe in quite the same way.
Survivors of sexual assault know the feeling well. Their worlds too, are
shattered after being violated, and their lives are forever marked with a deep
division between before and after.
One of the biggest challenges the survivor faces in the "after",
and the challenge that our nation now faces as well, is the challenge of moving
forward without being consumed by either fear or hate. It is not always an easy
path to navigate, but, as survivors of sexual assault know well, to do anything
else is to lose one's soul.
It is right that the perpetrators of these horrific acts be brought to
justice and be held accountable for their actions. But I pray that we not be so
consumed by our hate for their actions that we too become terrorists, using
forceful means, and taking innocent lives to accomplish our ends. Violence will
only beget more violence.
They say that in every crisis lies an opportunity. My hope is that from this
crisis we, as individuals, and as a nation, find the opportunity to recommit to
things that will sustain us - respect for others and their differences, valuing
of human life, working for peace and against the injustices that cause
separation and contempt. Let us work for a world that works for everyone.
Many people are wondering what they can do that will make a difference. The
work we do at Stop Family Violence is perhaps a good place to start. There is a
proverb from Ghana that says "The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of
its people." Imagine for a moment that the hijackers grew up in homes where
they learned that violence is never an acceptable means to any end.
Let us work for family peace every day - not just in our words, but in our
deeds. Let us work together to find another way.
Together, we can.... http://www.stopfamilyviolence.org
Irene Weiser
 BACK TO VOICES OF REASON PAGE
BACK to Coping
with the 9.11.01 Aftermath
HOME
| 
Coping.org:
Tools for Coping
with Life's
Stressors
Coping.org
is a Public Service of James J. Messina, Ph.D. & Constance M. Messina, Ph.D.,
Email: