Twenty-five years since the absolute horror of 9/11. It was horrible at the time and horrible now in our rememberance. An act of humany barbarity incomprehensible in its absolute cruelty.
Atrocity breeds atrocity and horror breeds horror and hate breeds hate. And the consequences? The Afghan and Iraq wars with all their barbarity. And do we learn? When will we ever learn? President Trump has his own dirty hands, a misstep that costs the whole world dear and will do so for the forseeable future.
The politics of retribution are always evil. It takes a great man, or woman, to break that cycle of hate breeds hate. Sometimes some of us yearn to go back to the era of Colonialism where action meant consequent responsibility. Instead today the great powers and their opponents act without measuring consequence and taking responsibility for the consequences of those act of rampant hegemony.
But now none of our leaders care. And the twenty-four hour news cycle pours petrol on the flames.
Did Premier Netanyahu care how he would meet his God when he called for slaughter in Gaza? An eye for an eye? Did David Cameron think of the consequences when he led the UK’s participation in the 2011 NATO-led intervention that helped overthrow Muammar Gaddafi?
And the private individuals. Are we any better when we, understandably, hate and despise the migrants who fill our prisons? But how were they driven here, these young men? By civil war in Sudan perhaps? And whose weapons are in the hands of those fighting the many proxy wars?
Where is the love? Amor vincit Omnia? Or what? The lesson of 9/11 and its horror, its unmitigated horror, is that love is the answer, the only answer.
And it is so difficult. If you live in South Lebanon are you expected to love Israel? I mean it is easy for Jesus to say turn the other cheek, but would you?
It is so hard, so unbelievably hard, to love. Does the abused return love to the abuser? Of course not.
But one thing we can do and must do and that is to be merciful. The quality of mercy is not strained. This applies to our personal lives and to our lives nation to nation.
That is the true lesson of 9/11. Love may not be the answer. But mercy, unqualified mercy, most definately is.
Featured image by omar sahel from Pixabay
