The Farewell
Farewell to you and the youth I have spent with you
It was but yesterday we met in a dream.
You have sung to me in my aloneness,
And I of your longings have built a tower in the sky.
But now our sleep has fled and our dream
Is over, and it is no longer dawn.
The noontide is upon us and our half waking has turned to fuller day, and we must part.
If in the twilight of memory we should meet once more,
we shall speak again together
And you shall sing me a deeper song.
And if our hands should meet in another dream
we shall build another tower in the sky.

This is part of a poem named The Farewell by the Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran It makes me think of the rude awakening we all experienced on Tuesday morning. It makes me think about the families and friends of the victims and how their hopes and dreams have been shattered. How do you make sense of something so senseless? The unimaginable happened. All of us were struck with disbelief and horror as we saw these acts of destruction and hatred. On Tuesday we saw the worst of humanity and the best of humanity. Even as we saw those surreal images we were privileged to witness acts of courage and love as rescue workers immediately went to work, some giving their lives in the performance of their duty.

We ask, why did this happen? How can we understand it? Today is not the time to go into the context and what led to this. Today is a time to reflect, care for each other and share our compassion with the victims' families.

These despicable acts will change our lives. Sandwiched between two oceans, we, in America, have been somewhat insulated and safe from such acts of terrorism. The sense of vulnerability we feel will be with us for a long time. And so we must work to increase our personal sense of safety and not let our fears rule our lives.

Each of us reacts to this tragedy in a different way. We act out our grief in many ways. Some are fearful, some in shock and some are angry. Anger is certainly a normal reaction to such a hateful attack. But it is what we do with our anger that matters. We must curb any tendency to strike out against innocent people. As educators, and everyone who works at Lane is an educator, we must not allow our anger against the evil people who did this to spill over in to how we treat our students, especially our international students from the Middle East or Arab American students. We have a sacred trust to provide a safe and hospitable environment for ALL our students. If I turn my anger against another, I do not just harm and diminish the other person. I also diminish my spirit and myself. Let us not allow ourselves to become the moral equals of the people who did this by taking out our anger on innocent people.

One has to wonder about the seeds of hatred that are sown that cause such horrific events. And we must be careful that we do not let this cause us to create even more division and enflame a new generation of hatred. We might feel powerless to do anything. But we can do something. We can sow seeds of peace right here at Lane and in our community. We can examine our own relationships and work for peace in our own personal and professional lives. Let this event trigger a movement of peace not a movement of hatred and destruction. The people who did this will only succeed if we allow them to turn us against ourselves.

But all of this pales in comparison to what the families and friends of the victims must be going through. Their lives will be profoundly changed forever. The loss of a spouse, a mom or a dad, a brother or sister, a son or a daughter, a friend, will indelibly mark these people and so our thoughts should turn to them and offer them compassion and grace and we can wish for them healing and peace.

I was reminded of something I read some time ago that was written by William Schulz, the Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, a group that works for people imprisoned for their beliefs. He said: " I think we who work for justice and come face to face regularly with its negation are at risk of losing that which animates all healthy beings: the capacity to respond to the graciousness draping the world in colors vivid and electric, the warmth of the sun, a lover's touch. If we neglect to notice these, why attend to anything else? E.B.White said, "every morning I awake torn between a desire to savor the world and an inclination to savor it. This makes it hard to plan the day." But if we forget to savor the world, what possible reason do we have for saving it? In a way, the savoring must come first.

Shortly before he died, [the noted Nigerian environmentalist and human rights activist] Ken Saro-Wiwa wrote from prison to a friend: "I'm in good spirits...There's no doubt that my idea will succeed in time, but I'll have to bear the pain of the moment...I'm mentally prepared for the worst but hopeful for the best. I think I have the moral victory." He did, of course but he also lost his life in its pursuit. Think of that and weep, but then take the hand of friend, tousle the hair of a child, beam over a rose and shout praises to the stars. And then begin again. Begin again. No better tribute could there be to all that is right and proud and free."

As I think about these words, I think that perhaps these awful acts can help us to begin again. We do have to bear the pain of the moment. We do offer compassion and solace to the victims of this atrocity. But we are a resilient people. As educators, we can begin again to work even harder for peace and justice, to work even harder to care for one another, not just in a time of crisis but also in every single action, every single day. We can provide a caring community. We can share a sense of hope. We will persevere through this national tragedy and these personal feelings of loss. We will find healing and recovery and we will find it through caring for ourselves and caring for each other.