Reflections on 9/11: The strange and circuitous relationship between Osama bin Laden and our disappearing car.
I woke up this morning feeling stressed so Michael suggested that we head down to the JFK Museum for a bike ride along the waterfront. Once we got there we decided to go through the museum as well – after the ride. It was such a beautiful day: comfortable temperature and lovely sunshine. Perfect!
…until we got back to the car or rather to the space where the car had been and was no longer. It seems that The JFK Library is serious about towing any cars from the parking lot whose owner has not gone into the museum. The sign said that the parking lot was for visitors of the museum and that was us, right? Well, almost.
When we asked where our car was and explained that we just went for a ride before we went into the museum, the security people were very apologetic… not that it freed our car from car jail, but at least they were polite and sorry (I think this was due to Michael’s calm and assertive energy. The Dog Whisperer techniques work on humans too!)
What we learned: Since it was 9/11, security at the JFK Museum was especially heightened. Anyone who walked away from their car and did not go immediately go into the museum could be a terrorist so their car was set to be towed immediately. (We can attest to that!) While the risk was clearly minimal, no chance would be taken that a terrorist might try to grab some headlines particularly on the 9/11 anniversary. This made me think, “hmmm, aren’t the terrorists winning?”
We do not defeat terrorists by attacking other countries and killing more innocent civilians; we defeat terrorists by not being afraid and not changing how we live. After all, terrorism is all about creating more fear, curbing our freedoms, harming us as a nation. It seems that based on these criteria, the terrorists have the advantage. We have become so willing to go to any length to feel safe that we have lost our way. WAKE UP America! Let’s practice not being afraid, trusting that the couple who road their bikes out of the parking lot and left their Prius behind, did not leave a remote controlled bomb in it!
Look, I am not angry that we were towed. We rode our bikes down to the tow lot and sprang the car… no big deal! The point is, there are so many small consequences to giving in to fear. And there are really large consequences as well – like our willingness to accept torture and invasions of foreign countries. The results have been more harmful to us and our freedoms than they have been to the actual bad guys. Let’s not lose our way of life; let’s not defeat ourselves; let’s not be afraid!
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