We all became more considerate, more respectful, more mature, almost instantly. Drivers drove their cars correctly. People held doors for one another. There was the tacit understanding that we were all "in this together." We put ourselves aside. We were as one. We could have moved a mountain. You could see it. You could feel it. It was real.
It only lasted two weeks. After that, we reverted. But to have seen it at all, even once in a lifetime, is a memory worth keeping.
I remember that. It was real. It was as if our national resentments were locked in a closet for a couple of weeks. Expressions of good will weren't only performed, they were honored. Pique felt cheap, and people apologized without being asked.
I think it was grace.
UPDATE:
The person I was quoting is the sage Ed Gurney who blogs here.
1 comments:
I remember that the writers and editors of The Onion were in a Pickle after 9/11, because they were committed to finding humor everywhere. What they finally did was celebrate being able to get back to egocentric and trivial entertainments after a brief and difficult season of caring for each other and reflection on the big things of life.
Post a Comment