World has changed -- so have we

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KENNETT, Mo. -- If, as theologians declare, panic is the absence of faith, then large numbers of Americans have in recent days rid themselves of previous nagging doubts and questions. Some may question this instantaneous assessment of our population's newly discovered faith, but there are subtle signs that the judgment is an accurate one.

While it's true those of us fortunate enough to escape the ravages of the terrorists' declared war against America felt distress and sorrow at the deaths of more than 6,000 victims on September 11, this reaction was more one of concern over the destruction of innocent citizens than personal fear for our own safety. We were calm enough to realize that while the World Trade Center and Pentagon bombings were provocative acts of war, neither we nor our families were immediate targets of the enemy. We were able to go on about our lives, distracted but not targeted.

This immunity, however, did not prevent some of us from the imaginative powers of sinister, subaltern warfare, perceived by some at the moment of arrival of the dangerous anthrax virus. Again there was expressed concern over the al-Qaida's ability to wage war at our doorsteps. But, again, there were quiet voices of reassurance, raised to stem any possible sign of panic that might rob us of our ability to protect our nation and our way of life.

To those who believe we have not heard the last of the barbaric plans of Osama bin Laden and his fanatical followers, we urge a few quiet moments of prayer, reflection and remembrance. We need to recall the instant heroes created just in the past few weeks, the men and women who answered the first distress calls in New York and Washington, and those who displayed remarkable courage and resolve as they sought to save the lives of their fellow citizens. What better examples could we find than the heroic acts of these dedicated Americans?

While we are in the process of recalling the remarkable bravery already displayed, we might recall our own lives prior to September 11 and the manner in which we displayed, or failed to display, our best features. There are countless examples, not all of them reassuring, even fewer fortified with mature citizenship.

With no fanatical pathology to deter us, our society was seemingly obsessed with the accumulation of the paper wealth promised by Wall Street, the electronic magic of instant communication among business and social friends, the accumulation of large motorized blocks of automotive steel that quickened the depletion our finite petroleum supplies.

Our accumulative appetites for physical luxuries were even exceeded by our growing cynicism toward established principles that have guided America since its birth. We no longer trusted governments at any level. We had grown so distrustful of representative democracy that we were not willing to trust: the majority, even if at times our lethargy made it only a minority view. We had adopted the pejorative principle that when something is broken, ignore it. And this we proceeded to do, ignoring our concepts that: governments were based on faith and allegiance and that those who had offered their services were not automatically evil.

We forgot all of these principles, even those calling for respect of our neighbors and, more alarmingly, the rights of all within our society. We even invented something called road rage, which meant we were free to smash our automobiles into those who seemed unmindful of our superiority and first priority on public roads.

Our views of our elected leaders were so bad that a majority of us decided we would no longer participate in the democratic process, forswearing our rights and responsibilities to vote, become acquainted with the issues before us, respect those whose sole motive was to serve in a public capacity. We had decided to pal, attention to the misdeeds of elected officials, nor could we get enough news about how badly they had strayed from our own concept of public behavior. We seemed to delight in the peccadilloes of our leaders, not because we were distressed at any damage that might be caused to our democracy but because it made us feel superior. Scriptures of many of the world's religions unhesitatingly brand these views as heresy.

The days since Sept. 11 have, in many ways, seemed reminiscent of the days following Dec. 7, 1941. We have, perhaps without realizing it, become a better nation today than we were before the bombings. If you can recall both of these dates, I suspect the feeling in the pit of your stomach seemed familiar, and I suspect too that you answered that feeling with a determination to be a better citizen, a better parent, a better believer of the spiritual powers of Almighty God.

I suspect too that the subject of your prayers may have changed directions, and instead of asking for more luxuries or better vacations or higher salaries, you may have mentioned the thousands of Americans who are now defending freedom at the risk of their own lives. You might have felt a confidence in your government that was totally absent on September 10. Your eyes might have teared, even a little bit as you witnessed the brave deeds of those who suddenly found themselves on the front lines of battle.

Sept. 11 was this generation's Pearl Harbor, and just as the date of Dec. 7 made better citizens of an entire generation, so the infamy of the largest calamity ever carried out against innocent civilians will continue to grow and strengthen from this day forward among societies of freeholders around the world.

We have changed because our world has changed. And we have faith we are both better for it. Hallelujah!

Jack Stapleton is the editor of Missouri News and Editorial Service.