United 93

This past weekend I saw United 93, the mildly controversial movie about the ill-fated terrorist attack on the U.S. Capital on that terrible day when 3 other hijacked planes successfully hit their intended targets.  The early conventional wisdom believed the movie was released too early while emotions were still too raw and was a ploy to profit from the misfortunes of others.  After it premiered, critics applauded its fair and accurate treatment of a day that changed America.  This movie was a riveting behind the scenes account of our living history and a tribute to the courageous character of a handful of Americans when faced with an unbelievable and frightening challenge.

After the movie was over there was a stunned silence from most in the theater.  A few sobs could be heard in the darkness until one person began wailing uncontrollably.I remember feeling extremely frustrated and angry. How could this have happened? How could we have been so woefully unprepared? How could these fellow citizens have lost their lives so tragically?

September 11 was a day we were shaken to our core and left questioning many of our treasured assumptions about the scope of freedom. We realized that we could not be isolated from the problems in the larger world. We were not exempt from the absolute and random senselessness of terror from a foreign threat. The scope and success of this plot convinced middle America that no one was safe.  All it took was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But now, in the span of a typical college career (for those on the five year plan), I wonder if we have fallen back into another false sense of security? Do we feel we have averted this threat from ever happening again? Are we any better prepared if it did?

The movie provided a jolt back into those shocking days when we woke from our slumber . As I left the serene setting of the plush Cinemas, I realized, in a very small way, I was experiencing what citizens of Baghdad, Tel Aviv and Dahab face in real time with far more regularly. I appreciated again how privileged I am to live in relative peace. My virtual experience with terrorism produced real emotions that could hardly compare to the bona fide feelings of rage, anger, revenge and fear that will occur when terrorism hits my street and kills a member of my family.

The movie was helpful for me as a harsh lesson in both the challenge and the calling for all of us who are called Christians to transcend sectarian divisions. When faced with evil, do I lash out in kind or do I reach out with compassion to any who hurt in the world. Violence will always produce more violence or as Jesus as said, “those who live by the sword, die by the sword.” I wonder if our nation’s soul has become any more compassionate; any more forgiving; any wiser since those terrible days of September 11, 2001? Have we graduated at all or are we just fifth year freshmen?

We can retreat to live in the protected isolation of our affluence. We can hope against hope that we have conquered these threats to our prosperity and security. We can numb ourselves through pleasure and entertainment. We can allow others to fight this battle for us, those who are usually the poorest and most desperate. Yet, to me this is a more vulnerable place to live. Just like that crisp autumn morning five years ago, in a moment’s notice, our hopeful bubble is popped.

September 11 reminded us that life is precious and time is short. On September 12, 2001 and the few months that followed, we Americans reached out in unity with our fellow citizens. We were committed to work for the common good. We sought to develop our faith and mature the best that was within us. We determined to love our family more sincerely and straighten our paths toward better living. How easy it has been to go back to the comforts of old habits and empty promises. Maybe it’s better to exchange the idea, “it’s too soon to remember” with “it’s too soon to forget.”