The Most Well Known Story & Symbol Of Our Age
Although a dozen years have passed, the story of our age just keeps growing in its importance to our time and generation. We hear the story via TV from so many angles, a number of channels on my sky box have been playing back to back documentaries for the last week. Everyone has an opinion, many lives were changed on 9/11 and I for one have avoided speaking about the subject on line apart from a poem I wrote more than nine years ago, but today I want to have my say about this global tragedy.
First let me share the poem I wrote about the events of that sad September morning in New York twelve years ago:
Juxtapose – Just Suppose
Written and © Copyright 2004
By Andrew Paul Smith 26-06-2004
Written and © Copyright 2004
By Andrew Paul Smith 26-06-2004
What do you feel
When looking at Manhattan
As hatred fills the skies
When looking at Manhattan
As hatred fills the skies
Can you feel hope
Or just adolescent rage
As many people die
Or just adolescent rage
As many people die
Hope cries out now
Vengeance is no answer for
The evil that men do
Vengeance is no answer for
The evil that men do
Now there is love
To be found in the rubble
To pity this world view
To be found in the rubble
To pity this world view
The answer has never been
To kill our “enemies”
One thing is always certain
We’re all a part of “me”
To kill our “enemies”
One thing is always certain
We’re all a part of “me”
You destroy your brothers
When you hate the human race
Love will be the answer
When peace has found its place
When you hate the human race
Love will be the answer
When peace has found its place
So no surprises for you there, if you have read other writings of mine you know I am for peace, love and light but what of my thoughts around the tragedy of nine eleven?
CONSPIRACY AND WAR MAKING
I see two towers, they are twins! The symbol of the World Trade Centre for me represents dualism!
A). War & Peace – There are those who believe in war and those who believe in peace. There are those who believe therefore that might is right, the ones with the best weapons are more likely to win so we need to have the most and the best weapons. Then there are those who believe that when all the killings are over we will still have to sit down and talk about it and make our peace, so why do so many lives have to be torn apart and why should even more fuel for further conflict be created.
B). Conspiracy & Unavoidable Events – There are those who see a hidden agenda in everything and those who do not. The conspiracy theorists tell us that 9/11 was an inside job, that the American government or those who pull its strings to the administration were complicit, as it was with so many other events; the assassination of JFK and Bobby his brother, MLK and even John Lennon. Not to mention the deaths of Diana Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed, etc etc
C). Us & Them – It’s all part of a global story of us and them! There are the controllers and the controlled; the 1% and the 99%; the Judai/Christians and the Arabs; the East and the West. The dichotomies never end or do they? I believe there is an answer to the age old problem of disagreements and the evil that men do to each other and the planet, and the funny thing is I know you dear reader are going to take sides with me or against me on this. It makes me smile!
In some ways I really shouldn’t need to say more than this photograph says.
The photo along with the one that preceded it offers us all the choice between continuing as we are with our unwillingness to live and let live or becoming willing to seek a solution to our problems instead! Surely being able to get along and embrace the dualism that is at the heart of what we speak of as reality, is in all of our interests?
The day after 9/11 a friend of mine wrote a song whose lyric I want to share with you now:
ONE PLURAL
Words and Music Tony Moore September 12, 2001
Written and © Copyright 2001
Written and © Copyright 2001
There is you, standing silent
Looking up – at the sky bent
Out of all shape – Since the day was begun
Looking up – at the sky bent
Out of all shape – Since the day was begun
There is me, in the distance
Just a speck of existence
Yet I can feel – What you feel – In unison
Just a speck of existence
Yet I can feel – What you feel – In unison
There is nothing between us – smithereens can’t defeat us
We are one plural, facing each other reflected
We are one plural, I am – You are – We’re connected
If you’re in pain – I’m affected
We are one plural, I am – You are – We’re connected
If you’re in pain – I’m affected
There is us, in the middle
So aware that we’re brittle
Yet we have strength – that defies comparison
So aware that we’re brittle
Yet we have strength – that defies comparison
There is nothing can reach us – We have love to complete us
We are one plural, facing each other reflected
We are one plural, I am – You are – We’re connected
We are one plural, symmetry made, love perfected
We are one plural, when we embrace – we’re protected
I’m in pain – you’re affected
We are one plural, I am – You are – We’re connected
We are one plural, symmetry made, love perfected
We are one plural, when we embrace – we’re protected
I’m in pain – you’re affected
There are those, who would hurt us
Thinking fear will convert us
But they don’t see, unity is every one
Thinking fear will convert us
But they don’t see, unity is every one
SYRIA & BEYOND
As in Syria right now, there is a possible point of world conflict. A brutal regime is trying to keep control over those who oppose it from within. A watching Western World feeling initially unwilling to repeat the mistakes of the past by attempting to go in and resolve matters with their superior fire power, but now based on the latest atrocities and the use of chemical warfare to kill hundreds of innocents are now feeling honour bound to do something and yet fearful of the consequences.
Then when it comes to the evidence of who committed this atrocity, America and Russia have different culprits and they say categorical proof of who is to blame. The peace of the region and maybe the whole world is at stake. The American President doesn’t seem to be as “gun-ho” as his predecessors were over Iraq and Afghanistan, the British Parliament already voted down the taking of military action, I think the West is a little scared of the consequences. After all we don’t want our civilisation to end up looking like the picture above and yet we can’t just ignore the use of chemical weapons, can we?
9/11 was a great tragedy and although in my mind there is probably more evidence than I would previously have liked to publicly admit for the validity of the conspiracy theorists on the events of September 11, 2001. I am more concerned about finding a way to prevent such things from happening again, than who we need to point the finger of blame at. After all who came off worst as a result of that extremely sad day?
The Syrian conflicted has already claimed 60,000 to 100,00 lives, between 1,500,000 and 2,000,000 have become refugees and almost 4,000,000 have had to leave their homes and are now living in a different part of Syria.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugees_of_the_Syrian_civil_war There is no doubt that if this had happened in America, the UK or some European Country the Western World would not have sat idly by and yet doing what the Russians and Chinese have done in the UN Security Council did make sense to me when I heard the Chinese Ambassador to the UK speak on the radio recently. He said something along the lines of “We don’t believe in interfering with the internal conflicts of sovereign nations!”
Do we in the West interfere or do we care? Do you see how easy it is to take opposing views on this and just about anything that happens globally, locally or personally? My answer to all the conflicts and disagreements important and petty has already been revealed in this article, it is simplistic and yet most of the solutions that we find eventually after our great quests as human beings usually are!
LIVE & LET LIVE!
So let me repeat what I said earlier; the solution is to “live and let live!” I have some other qualifying statements to make about this, so here goes!
1). INDIVIDUALITY AND THE ONENESS
Anything that divides us and brings us into violent conflict is not good for you, for me or for humanity! The human race needs to accept that as wonderfully uplifting a message we have been able to receive from our religions, political theories and philosophies however much they have given us a sense of belonging to a large group of people, it is as if whilst-ever we remain in their power we are children clinging to our mother’s apron strings.
2). ENLIGHTENMENT
It’s time for the human race to become enlightened and realise that individuality is to be celebrated and that the universality of the desire to express ourselves creatively within the structures that feel most comfortable to us, even though that means we will all want to live our lives slightly different to everyone else and very different to others. If we want to be allowed by others to live our way, then it seems fair to me that the trade-off should be to allow others to do the same.
3). TOGETHERNESS
We belong together and yet we need to be able to express ourselves individually. When someone does something that offends you, celebrate that individuals separateness from you whilst reminding yourself that we ALL belong to each other! As I said this is a simplistic solution, but if you and I put this to work in our lives and be the change we want to see in the world, maybe the likelihood of another September 11th tragedy becomes less likely?
CONCLUSION
Please forgive the use of my own religious culture past for me to illustrate the deepest longings of my soul today on the anniversary of the 21st Centuries most well-known tragedy and all that has happened since that extremely sad day. Here’s a song and a Bible verse that express hope for a future world of peace that I seek, live and pray for today, the fact that they are Christian in nature tell you of my where I am from, not where I am going in my heart and mind. I am willing for you to live your life your way as long as you do it peacefully and constantly search for peace in your heart because that is where I promise you it is waiting for you and me, in our hearts!
Love and light to you from Barney 
<3
<3
GROWN UP CHRISTMAS LIST
Songwriters: Lyrics: Linda Thompson & Music: David Foster
Songwriters: Lyrics: Linda Thompson & Music: David Foster
Do you remember me
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you with childhood fantasies
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you with childhood fantasies
Well I’m all grown-up now
And still need help somehow
I’m not a child
But my heart still can dream
And still need help somehow
I’m not a child
But my heart still can dream
So here’s my lifelong wish
My grown-up Christmas list
Not for myself
But for a world in need
My grown-up Christmas list
Not for myself
But for a world in need
[Chorus:]
No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
Everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown-up Christmas list
No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
Everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown-up Christmas list
As children we believed
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely
Wrapped beneath our tree
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely
Wrapped beneath our tree
Well heaven surely knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal a hurting human soul
That packages and bows
Can never heal a hurting human soul
[Chorus]
What is this illusion called
The innocence of youth
Maybe only in our blind belief
Can we ever find the truth
The innocence of youth
Maybe only in our blind belief
Can we ever find the truth
“They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore!” Isaiah 2 Verse 4
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