September 26, 2001
Konrad Switters

The relentless effort of politicians to reiterate the bipartisan mantra "Get back to normal", threatens to re-route a collective emotion that could foster a brilliant transformation within this remarkable country.

For those who are just beginning to come to terms with the reality of "missing" friends and family, "normal" is a reference henceforth to be reserved for the parameters of scientific experiments, pH levels in swimming pools, or the median running temperature for an automobile's engine; not a cliche to be used to describe a previous way of life which has been altered in every way imaginable.

And for those who were lucky enough to be only tangentially affected, the nightmares [if there is any sleep at all], the exhaustion at the end of otherwise sluggish work days, the nervous skyward glances at the sound of a jet engine whining overhead, the spastic physical convulsions of self-preservation at the sound of a flatbed truck rattling over a loose manhole cover, and the sidelong glances exchanged in crowded subway cars at individuals who look ethically suspicious; all reveal that this terrorist attack - now purposefully diluted into an "event", "incident", or "disaster" - has irreversibly changed the course of history; "normal" is now as described above, and this country should resist the instigation to get back to a "normal" way of life that was as ignorant as it was delightful.

Normal is now a state of fear; and it is being felt by people of all ethnic groups throughout this country, and throughout the World. This fear has driven people into a Patriotic fervor, and entire countries into a Global Coalition; but this is not enough. It should be prompting the people of the United States of America to vehemently engage the artifice of life in an attempt to reawaken and revolutionize our value system; and not to simply shrug off this "event" as something that can be handled by the political professionals [those greedy, loathsome, self-centered and egomaniacal charlatans]. If we feel the urge to return to "normal" now, then there is reason to believe that our hindsight still needs corrective lenses.

We should no more want to get back to "normal" than we should want to abandon our 21st century technologies for the simplicities of the stone age. Our vision, though still shrouded in tears, is animated now by fear. We should take care that this fear not invoke cowboy vigilantism or racial bigotry; this fear that has brought the weary souls of complete strangers into a bond normally reserved for close friends and kin.

This fear is now a part of life. Its intensity will only grow in the coming weeks. Harness this fear. Focus this fear. Wrestle with this fear. This fear is real, this fear is warranted, and this fear has the possibility of leading our great nation into a glorious future; a future that will make the magical wonders of the early 21st century look like the backward emptiness of The Middle Ages.