Remembering 9/11

Authoritarianism: 1. of, relating to, or favoring blind submission to authority. 2. of, relating to, or favoringa concentration of power in a leader or an elite not constitutionally responsible to the people.

On the fifth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York we find ourselves reflecting on the memory of that tragic day. As we find ourselves bombarded with the images and personal stories on the front page of the newspaper, with various movies that beg for a way to invade our consciousness with their dutiful agenda, with the political motives of those in power or those who wish to be in power, with the faint whisperings of plans for even more devestating destruction, with the terrible stories of those who perished on that day five years ago and the countless others who have fallen since then in response it's hard to evaluate what has become of our world since we witnessed those horrid visions of planes bursting into fireballs as they struck two of the tallest buildings on the planet. How could the hands and hearts of human beings reach out and crush the very foundation of human civilization with complete disregard for the lives of other human beings? This is the question that burns at our guts when we look back at all that has been wrought.

Violence lives in the heart of authoritarianism. When people give themselves up to external authority they relinquish their freedom and independence in exchange for a false sense of security sought by releasing themselves of the burden of responsibility to self-reflect and shape their own destiny. This destructive impulse exists throughout our world in many stifling environments where religious or cultural dogma attempt to thwart the very will of humanity. The terror we witnessed on September 11, 2001 was a reflection of the human weakness of authoritarianism...and the response by many leaders in this country as well. Let us not forget what lies in the true heart of freedom and never give up our noble ideals to those who covet them using fear and terror as their allies. To be free means that we must be courageous and point this country in a new direction, one that respects the thoughts of all individuals no matter the culture that may guide them. This is the only true path toward peace.

23 Months

My precious boy is almost two. Now's the time for him to learn. For him to potty-train. To learn how to read. To learn how to tie his shoes. Button his shirt. His pants. Buckle his belt. To brush his teeth. To find an appropriate school to mold his blossoming mind. To shape his vocabulary To shape his heart and mind. To teach him how to love and appreciate himself. He's learning so fast I can hardly keep up.

It's a wonder they don't all run away from us, leave us in the dust of our retreat. The age of our years consuming us until we can no longer recognize the beauty in the future. I think that so many of us parents fall into this trap. It's so hard to find the time to breath. I can barely find the time to write about him. But we have to recognize the beauty in our precious children.

Before I reached this point in my life , I always worried that I would never be good enough to raise a child of my own. I always listened to the broken-hearted confessions of parents who can no longer see the future. I imagined that my life would be sucked dry by the parasite that sprung from my loins. What a miserable place to be. What a sad, sad room within my imagination. But those people didn't understand that they turned into the sun and were blinded when they tried to see all the glory that lay before them. In order to see what the sun can reveal you must turn your back to it and look at everything around you. You must stop waiting for the universe to reveal itself with you and realize that it's easier to see it glowing within others. When we see the beauty in others the world opens up and even the dark corners step into the light.

When I look at my little man I am filled with an incredible joy that I never imagined existed. I am completely happy when the visions of Xtina and Lucas fill my mind. I am a happily married father. It's F---ing fabulous! My life is better with a child and I encourage everyone to engage in this wonderful occurance.

But it isn't easy, I assure you, but then again when has life ever been easy. That which you truly appreciate in your life will come through some trial our burden that you must overcome. Ours now is a blend of laughter mixed with anxiety. How will we raise him into a self-confident self-realized human? Will we let him down or will we become the greatest parents ever? What type of person will he become? One that society despises or one that all humanity will adore? Mahtma Gandhi or Adolph Hitler? The truth will probably lie somewhere in the middle as it does with all of us, but he's already an angel so I have great hope.