Hijacked into war

As I watch the memorials for the victims of terrorist attacks one year later, I reflect on the fact that we all seem to be passengers on another airplane that has been hijacked by those bent on violent revenge and retaliation. The administration’s drum roll for war on Iraq, which could quickly escalate to global destruction, makes us complicit in the cycle of terrorism. World opinion is fearful that the lone superpower is no longer subject to the check of mutual deterrence, which kept a precarious balance since World War II.

We are now unassailable militarily and we have asked nations whether they are “for us or against us.” I say we because there has been no national, organized leadership, either from the political, educational or faith communities, to challenge the wisdom of unilaterally provoking a new conflict in the Middle East. I don’t believe that Americans are convinced that another war and more violence is the answer.

How will this end? Is there no way ordinary citizens can overcome the hijackers and land this plane safely, so that we don’t blow up our planet? We can learn from the brave attempts of the ordinary citizens who were passengers on the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania, thereby preventing one more target from being reached and destroyed. They knew what was being asked of them and they acted with courage. So, where are we one year later? We have never been closer to total destruction than we are today. Forty years ago, Martin Luther King said: “The choice is no longer between violence and nonviolence, the choice is between nonviolence and nonexistence.” How can we come together to subdue the hijackers who would extend the violence and destruction we are reminded of so sharply today?

We can begin by courageously speaking for peace, by exploring the ultimate consequences of war, by seriously exploring other options through the United Nations and by recovering our sense of solidarity with other honorable people in our global village. In a democracy we can make our voices heard. This is our time to speak and to act creatively and nonviolently for ourselves, for our world and for future generations. A friend told me last year that no one was interested in making peace. I refuse to believe her. The events of the past year have shown me that there are millions of good people who are interested in making peace, and with God’s grace we won’t let them or ourselves be hijacked into making war.

ROSALYN FALCÓN COLLIER
San Antonio