eudaimonia & anagnorisis

God help us all. Video: Bush reflects on 9/11*

I do not want to talk about terrorism. I want to talk about the indecency of humanity, the self-interest of politicians, and the ignorance of the rich and powerful. The first time I mentioned “9/11” yesterday, was 4pm over shisha with Amanda, she too spent her day unbeknownst of the date but noted its historical significance for our country. This morning I browsed CNN for the Bush transcript and other remembrance clips. I got approximately 3 minutes into Bush’s 16 minutes address, before I went to the water closet at Costa and vomited: There is an inexcusable lapse in empathy between the Middle East and America, amongst Americans themselves, and amongst the powerful in the world system and all those burdened by it. When did Samuel Huntington become the voice of the US administration? I find it ironic and deeply saddening that the people in the world who have the luxury of worrying about world problems seem incapable of comprehending the multiple view points of any given situation, and of fathoming the infinite potential America has to reconcile issues rather than exacerbating them.

The clash of civilizations, as Bush notes so obediently from Lewis and Huntingtown, is a cop-out; is a gauntlet of warfare; is the argument of conservative, wealthy, Americans of European decent with little interest in a global community.

The word ‘evil’ which, is also tossed out confidently during the address, is an irrelevant term because what we define as evil is entirely subjective to our personal and moral compass. Using such blanket phrases as “terrorism” and “evil” is tolerable from a homogeneous, close-minded, and entirely self-interested organization, but from the US? from the country with one of the world’s most eclectic mix of ethnic backgrounds, political standpoints, and financial situations?

I think if Bush and I were in a casual situation, we would agree in far more ways than we disagree: America is threatened by rising extremism in the world. But what is to be done is where I think the Bush Administration and I would disagree. The message the 16 minute address sent to me is “we will get them back”. But I don’t want to get “them” back. Yes, I am NOT the mother of a killed solider or the wife of a 9.11 victim, but I am still a compatriot of those people and I truly don’t think revenge will ease their pain. I think revenge is retroactive and what we need is a proactive solution.

I am a 20something college student living abroad, enjoying affluence, safety, and relative independence from responsibilities… I have the luxury of giving a shit what the US government said today and the naiviete to think I have a better grasp on international affairs then a staff of hundreds of people in Washington. In all fairness, all I can say is when I clicked on to CNN this morning I had expected – had hoped for – something comforting, and instead I received evidence that the voice of the US administration is not reflective of its constituents as a whole, that the crusades never ended, and that America is very, very much at risk, not only from the extremist Islamists abroad, but also the extremist evangelicals at home.