A chapter in time

Shachar Meron

Last week, I wrote a column about how our current environment of peace and prosperity doesn't give people much chance to prove themselves, and that eras of conflict and disaster have produced some of the greatest individuals known to man. That was true when I wrote it one week ago.

Few would argue that we live in an entirely different world today. Tuesday's acts of terror instantly transformed America into a land of conflict and disaster, and contrary to what many readers might believe, I'm not happy about that. While a week ago I'd expressed that we could use a little excitement and danger to dispel the boredom and apathy, these events are certainly not what I had in mind. In fact, I specifically stated that "I don't actually wish the nation would plunge into war just to see what would happen." I regret nothing that I wrote because I wrote it in a different era; a hundred years from now, history textbooks will have Sept. 7 and Sept. 14 of 2001 in two different chapters.

I noted last week that "we have no unity as a nation because we have nothing to unite for or against." Well, now we do. It takes unbelievably extreme circumstances to get hundreds of Democrat and Republican congressmen singing together on the steps of the Capitol, but somehow it occurred. While the nation still remains divided on certain issues — who to blame, how to retaliate, what short-term and long-term changes need to be made — we have found some things to be absolute truths. For the most part, we agree that terrorism is an evil that needs to be stopped, and the nation (as well as Congress and other nations of the world) is as unified and determined as ever.

Americans have been largely considered spoiled and irresponsible by people of other nations and by each other. However, I've always had great confidence that in times of crisis and need, we could step up and earn the respect we deserve. I said that "the George Washingtons and Winston Churchills of today are ... stuck in their roles as nobodies because of those damn things known as 'peace' and 'prosperity.' They don't know who they are or what they could do, given the right circumstances." This proved to be entirely true.

When crisis surfaced, seemingly ordinary citizens displayed signs of great character and courage. It is suspected that airline passengers selflessly gave their lives to overtake hijackers and save the White House; firefighters and volunteers work around the clock amidst unstable ground, blazing fires and unbreathable air; and people all over the country are donating blood and money in staggering amounts.

Our president now has the opportunity (whether he wants it or not) to prove that he deserves to be in the White House, just as New York City Mayor Giuliani has already proven himself a wise and capable leader. Professional athletes showed they, too, are human with real concerns and their feet on the ground, telling people that canceling games is necessary and will hopefully put the situation in perspective for some out-of-touch individuals.

Even the symbols of our nation's supposed selfishness and self-indulgence have become the essential tools of communication and investigation. Cell phones (which have been used and abused to ridiculous excess in the past few years) not only offer insight to what happened on the hijacked flights, but also have allowed some survivors to inform their loved ones and the authorities of their positions under the rubble of the World Trade Center.

TV networks, which have provided America's favorite distractions from reality for the past half century, show news of the situation 24 hours a day without interruption by commercials or entertainment programming, and very few people complain that they haven't been able to watch their favorite sitcom in days. To suggest a week ago that Americans could go without TV shows and sports for days without complaints would be laughable, but by now we've proven to the world that we're able to display a level of great maturity and responsibility.

On a more personal note, I was feeling depressed last week. I felt like I hadn't accomplished anything in my life and nothing had any real point. I mentioned that "there are countless reasons to be thankful for living in the United States at the start of the 21st century, but when the boredom that comes with security becomes overwhelming, the mind wanders." My mind continues to wander — perhaps more than ever — but the situation has certainly put things in perspective. I'm still thankful for living in the United States at the start of the 21st century, but we've got a long ride ahead of us and a lot of work to do.

Shachar Meron is a graduate student who hasn't stopped watching TV in days and is proud of it. His column appears Fridays. He can be reached at opinions@dailyillini.com.

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