Fwd.: Compassion and Revenge.

[Elyn Aviva]

Forgive me for stepping into the middle, but I want to support Kathryn, as I
understand her: nothing excuses the horror of the WTC disaster. Nothing
excuses terrorists. But we are here presented with an amazing opportunity to
reflect on our stance in the world, as individuals and as a nation (the US):
where is the terrorist within each of us, what does it do to us? And how does
our nation behave as a terrorist? It is too easy to act as if the terrorist
is "the other"==a kind of cockroach that we can exterminate--go after and
"whip" out of existence, without examining the sources of terrorism, either
internal or external. We are being given an incredible opportunity for self
reflection, an opportunity to explore our isolationist stance, to look at the
harm we have done others. This does not mean that there is an "excuse" for
the horrible loss of lives that has occurred. It i s simply an expression of
hope that we can use this dreadful event to bring peace, not war, into the
world.
Elyn Aviva