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By Dina Rabadi, Project Assistant,
Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of
Chicago
October 2003
Foreword
We work hard to raise our children to be happy and
to develop
good self-esteem. But they and we have another
mission as
well. To quote a Rabbinic scholar, “If I am only for
myself, what am I?” Dina Rabadi’s article, from
the September 10, 2003 op-ed section of the Boston
Globe,
seems, to me, to quietly illustrate that ethical
teaching.
Dina is the age of many parents who visit this site, parents
who have responsibilities to their children and
families,
to their work, and also to their country and the
global community.
Reading her article, it seemed to me that she
expressed feelings
parents might have as they think about their lives
and those
of their children in this uncertain world.
Although it is written on the sad occasion of the
anniversary
of September 11, “War on Terrorism” contains a
hopeful message about her generation’s strengths, as
well as a desire to be part of a solution to
alleviate suffering
and hatred.
- Dr. Howard King
War on Terrorism Hits Home for Generation X
My friends and I grew up during the ‘80’s and
90’s. Times of relative peace and prosperity. Such
peace
and prosperity made it easy to become focused on
things of
non-national importance, things like feathered hair,
friendship
bracelets, and “Melrose Place.”
To outsiders, my generation seemed complacent,
insular, and
silent. We were not voting, not protesting, not
caring. We
were criticized for being apathetic, apolitical, and
directionless
– so much so that the 80 million young adults born
between
1961 and 1981 were given a non-name – Generation X.
We did, in fact, care – but in more private ways.
The
political and economic stability most of us were
experiencing
gave us the time and energy to develop our
intellectual, spiritual,
and emotional interests. We became Buddhists,
started dot-coms,
got acupuncture, and worked on our self-esteem. We
were aware
of national issues, but they weren’t urgent enough,
massive enough, or relevant enough to ignite a
strong emotional
reaction from us. On the contrary, we felt that our
country
was doing OK. Life was good. We chose to volunteer
instead
of protest, recycle instead of vote.
On September 11, our priorities changed. The World
Trade Center
was blown up, some 3,000 people were murdered, and
so was
our sense of security, confidence, and vision of our
place
in the world, both as young adults and as Americans.
As we watched the second plane crash into the
towers, we realized
that our future was going to be different. Not only
were we
going to have to take care of ourselves, we were
also going
to have to take care of our country. My generation
more than
any other, understands that that to truly take care
of our
country, we are going to need to address the
concerns of the
rest of the world.
As one of the most ethnically and religiously
diverse generations
in history, we offer an intimate understanding of
international
relations. Not only are our families directly from
some of
the countries in conflict, so are our friends. We
have been
learning about Islam from our teachers, but also
from the
Muslims some of us have dated. We have been learning
about
the Pakistani-Indian tensions in school but also
first hand
from our best friends who are from Kashmir. We have
been told
the perception of the United States abroad. We have
had the
flaws of US foreign policy pointed out to us.
We have been told why there is hatred and resentment
toward
the United States. On September 11, those
conversations were
illustrated.
While things in the United States for many years
have been
pretty good, many other countries are deteriorating.
Asia is home to two-thirds of the world’s extreme
poor.
Entire villages are so poor that they collectively
sell their
children into sexual slavery. While AIDS recedes in
America,
it is devastating in Africa. And in the Middle East,
there
is a region devastated by cycles of hope and
oppression –
where young men and women are so desperate for a
better life
for their country and families that they are willing
to blow
themselves up.
Suffering is suffering, regardless of national
borders. As
Americans, but more important, as human beings all
sharing
this earth, we are going to need to work together to
alleviate
this suffering. Rooting out terrorists is not enough
to make
us safe.
We are going to have to work together as a global
community
to reduce the anger, frustration, and despair, which
are prompting
such attacks. We are going to need to draw on our
knowledge
of different cultures, value systems, and beliefs.
My generation
is here to help.
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