Through Different Eyes

Today I woke up, saw the flags at half mass. Was a little confused. It wasn't until I was signing a check today and wrote the date that it hit me: It was September 11.

I spent year in Europe. The 2 years before leaving I worked 100 hours a week so maybe life sort of passed as a blur. And before that I was in school. But coming back from Europe and seeing this anniversary memorial of 9/11... I found it sad. Like we were calling attention to the fact that we are still victims. It troubles me. Sure, we need to remember what happened. Sure, nothing will ever be the same. Sure, the world is a scary place. But when bad things happen, I believe we need to address our grievances head on.. and then move on.

It saddens me to read the news today, in the States. Obama. McCain. Palin. The war in Iraq: First, it was about WMD. Then, it was about freedom and championing Democracy. Now, it is about National Security. Apparently Sarah Palin just stated that it was God's will. It seems as though we are very lost. And at the same time, it seems as though we are so enthralled by our inner drama that nothing else in the world seems to matter.

Georgia once asked Ally McBeal the question "What makes your problems bigger than anyone else's?" She answered: "They're mine."

Meanwhile in Latin America, Bolivia and Venezuela both recently ousted the US ambassadors to their country saying that they were no longer welcome. "Hopefully, sooner than later, (the U.S.) will have a government that respects the peoples and the governments of Latin America," Chavez said. Perhaps the most appropriate answer to this is "Porque no te calles?" Or perhaps, there is some truth there.

And today, I saw a woman look through her purse trying to find enough money to buy dinner. All she had was a $5. The plate cost $5.17. I gave her a dollar. There are Americans hurting out there. The shopping centers are almost completely deserted, at any time of day. The gas bill is twice as much as it was before I left. These are hard economic times. And we're lost.

It troubles me.