Parker Palmer starts out his piece for today, “On this solemn day of mourning and honoring those who died on September 11, 2001, people of a certain age will remember exactly where they were when terrorists attacked New York City and other East Coast targets, killing 3,000 people and taking the Twin Towers down.”
Yet how we remember is key to our own heart’s wholeness. For many, “never forget” was focused not on those lost or the first responders but on punishing the enemy, on vengeance. Being called by Christ to forgive our enemies and love those who do harm (which is quite distinct from submitting ourselves to harm), we often turn to judging and condemning. Instead of patriotism being genuine self-reflection and taking full account and responsibility for our own failures as a nation, we use so-called patriotism to whitewash our failures.
Parker Palmer continues, “Denial is well-known among those who study addictions and family systems. It’s a way for individuals and groups to avoid facing painful realities about themselves and taking responsibility for them. Exhibit A: Everyone in the family knows that Dad drinks too much, and they worry silently about the implications for him and others. But no one is willing to talk about it. “Sure, Dad likes his cocktails,” they say to themselves, “but he’s not an alcoholic. That kind of thing doesn’t happen in this family.” So the family closes ranks, explaining Dad’s behavior away to protect their myth of who they are.
“Americans have long clung to a “family myth” about this nation. The U.S.A. is a “light to the world and a city set on a hill,” a nation especially blessed by God, one that has made a few mistakes but done far more good than harm. In the wake of 9/11, we felt no need to look inward and ask, “What might we learn from this attack on our homeland about becoming better citizens of the world we share with others?” Denial kicked in immediately to protect our family myth. Over the past twenty-five years, our role in the world has become more toxic than ever.
“On September 20, 2001, President George W. Bush addressed Congress, using a line that might have helped us do some introspection and set a different course for the 21st Century: “Americans are asking, why do they hate us?”
“Unfortunately, he jumped to an answer that comes straight from The Denial Playbook: “They hate our freedoms—our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other.” In other words, “We are so noble, so pure that others get jealous to the point of wanting to kill us. 9/11 has nothing to do with what’s wrong with us. It’s all about what’s wrong with them.”
With this mindset of “someone has to be punished” we went on to attack Iraq who had nothing to do with 9/11, killing 200,000 civilians, never thinking that perhaps this habit is why others hate us. Especially since 9/11 we have demonized those of the Muslim faith and this has only gotten worse in recent years.
Above all we followers of Christ must be self-reflective and humble. Instead of saying about nonChristians “they hate us because we are holy,” it would be well to consider our own failings. Rather than blaming others and living in denial of our own failure to love as Christ loves, let us look inward, not to blame ourselves but to deepen our love. When tragedy strikes, healing comes through opening our hearts, not closing them, opening to our own pain and opening to the pain of those who harm us.
Janathan Grace Reflections 
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