Many people will write about remembering 9/11, and while
that’s worthy, I think we should do so with music. I know that shortly after 9/11, I heard REM’s
“Everybody Hurts” and to this day, when I hear that song, I immediately think of
the Towers and aftermath. It’s cliché, I
know, but the words were true to me: “Sometimes, everything is wrong.” Without air traffic in the US, skies were
strangely quieter. Like most, I
displayed a small American flag on my car to show solidarity.
In hindsight I can’t tell you that I questioned the, then
president’s, decision to act militarily…but I remember wondering why Sikh Indians,
and Hindus with Bindi were being harassed.
Where 9/11 was concerned, our ignorance continued as racial profiling
became the rule of law. Plans for the
construction of a peaceful center for Islamic Prayer in Lower Manhattan was being
blocked by religious zealots…why? Blind
generalizations, misunderstanding the facts, and belief that their goal was
above the law, in this case planning and zoning.
As the last week has demonstrated, based on the Supreme
Court Ruling, the law says you can worship in your own way, as long as you’re
not forcing your religious views onto others.
That said, you can choose to listen to the link below or not. I find it uplifting and positive in this
world where those qualities seem to be in short supply. I’ll let the Reverend Pig Pen deliver his
sermon from 1970, at the Filmore East, New York City. But, in short, the message is this: “You broke my heart. [but] turn on
your light, let it shine on me. Turn on your love light; let it shine on me. Let
it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”
Love yourself enough to love another and act accordingly.
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