We are living through history right now. I realize this is redundant–every moment we live we are passing through history. I suppose what I should say is we are living through a significant portion of history, one that will be remembered and honored by future generations. Sept. 11, 2001, will occupy a place in history books, and in years to come, we will look back and remember every detail of that day: what we were doing and where we were the moment we heard the news, how we felt, who we talked to. I now feel a certain kinship with the generation that witnessed Pearl Harbor and had their lives and their world changed because of it. I wonder if they reacted then as we are now. I hope not, and I pray not, because my faith in my fellow man, which wasn’t very great to begin with, has suffered enough over these past seven days. If I knew my grandparent’s generation had reacted in the same manner to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, as some of my generation has reacted to this current tragedy, I think I would abandon society altogether.
On my way to write these angry words, I happened to walk through the Student Union, where I saw the notes of sympathy and condolence, left by concerned students. If you haven’t seen this, you should make an effort to go by and perhaps leave a note of your own. I wish I could embrace these warm people who restored a portion of my faith in humanity and blunted my rage at the insensitivity and selfish callousness of others.
Some of you are wondering what or who exactly I’m referring to with my aforementioned angry words. I’m referring to the people around us who can’t be bothered to look beyond the end of their own noses, or if not that, beyond the city limits of Starkville or the borders of Mississippi. I have already caught hints of a very dangerous and limited view of the current events that some people hold. There are many among us who have the attitude, “I don’t know anyone in New York–besides, it’s so far from here, it might as well be another country. If it didn’t happen to me, my family, my friends or in my hometown, it doesn’t affect me. Therefore, I don’t care.” For some people, the only tragedy was that they could not watch football over the weekend and actually had to come up with something creative to do with their friends. Many were thrilled at the availability of grief counselors on Friday. This mainly occurred because some well-meaning professors canceled classes with the false assumption that their students were grieving or at least remotely upset.
I don’t understand. Don’t people realize that other people, and not just any people–Americans– are dead? Can’t we see that our country is on the brink of war, and that before long, more Americans will give their lives to protect us? Some will undoubtedly come from New York, but some of these brave men and women may come from Starkville. Will the reality and enormity of this situation only sink in when someone that we know personally dies?
Freedom is not free, and it is occasionally tested as it was last Tuesday. Perhaps some of us needed a wake-up call. The freedom that we enjoy so much and that was handed to us on a plate is not a right–it is a gift paid for with blood, sometimes the blood of innocents.
A very costly wake-up call has just sounded, but some of us are still asleep. Wake up, and when you do, get over yourself, come out of your box and join the human race.
When all this is over and you have the opportunity, spend some of your beer money on a plane ticket to anywhere. Be brave, go see some of the world outside your comfort zone. I think you’ll find that the world is bigger than Mississippi; it’s bigger than Starkville, and it’s bigger than you or me.