When I published my previous article, Monday night for Tuesday release, I had no idea what pertinence my silly, insignificant book review might have. I have an online friend that works in upper Manhattan, named Jason, who wasn't sure how he'd get home that day, since the subway was shut down, and the entire nation was in a state of chaotic confusion, complete with a stream of emotions. He, unfortunately, was a witness to lower Manhattan's destruction.
Tuesday's rumors became Wednesday's headliners, and we fear sending our children to school, wanting to keep at least them safe from harm. Perhaps it was more for our own sense of security, since all sense of normalcy has faded this horrific week. We are sick in our hearts, and keep vigils for the victims and their families.
I have a special misunderstanding for these sad circumstances, as a writer who writes about American literature, (I hope) patriotically. My finacé, an ex-Marine, has been glued to television the past two days, and also aches to help in some way. Our city, Cleveland, has been effectively shut down for the past two days, and now our emotions turn to anger.
I've long considered myself pacifist. Wars were only inevitable death, where nobody really won. However, the non-stop propaganda in our country fuels our rage, and, rest assured, this country's citizenry will not be at peace until the Middle East is bombed beyond all recognition. This is NOT simply my view, but reflective of the anxious and vengeful spirit of our troubled countrymen. It seems we're utterly divided in argument until we have a common enemy.
I pray our mass hatred, at this point, isn't misdirected, as I've already noted, locally. Local stores owned by Arab-Americans are on first-alert with the police, for hate crimes. I feel it's imperative that we note many Arab-Americans fled just this kind of persecution, their religion doesn't condone violence (many are, in fact, Christian), and we should not put them at the brunt of our collective wrath. My recourse, personally, has always been writing.
Lastly, I recently began working for Lee Dong Ho, online, a South Korean. I edit TOEFL (Test of English as a Second Language) students' essays, and their views, fully Eastern, often clash with my Western outlook. Still, we find common ground, and I give a little in perspective, while they do, as well. We are not so terribly different, and they sometimes change my mind. It would be ideal if the world itself would operate in such a way.
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