American life and vocabulary has been changing by the moment for the past two weeks as a result of events unfolding that continue to impact nearly every aspect of our lives. As economic, social, political and religious/spiritual foundations are twisted and rocked, we find ourselves reeling from a barrage of messages from multiple fronts with words that concurrently create confusion, galvanization, fear, hope and a massive overhaul of our view of ourselves as a nation and a world leader. Many Americans are searching for ways and words to express this imbalance, this inexplicable phenomenon of redefining who we are as individuals and as a nation after so many years of relative calm and prosperity, all changed by a few moments and a handful of terrorists. It came first to many of us in words and pictures, and now, in the aftershock we feel ourselves and our families involved, no longer viewers from a distance safeguarded by space and flight schedules. We are learning new words and phrases to explain our current state that both enlighten and haunt our conversations as we strive to balance those things we cannot fully understand, or easily dismiss.

I found myself in the midst of our national dilemma this past week, seeking to alleviate my disequilibrium by using many of the tools we’ve developed for dealing with such catastrophe including rationalization, preoccupation and disassociation. I went to work last week, rationalizing that all is as it is intended to be, and occupying my mind and hands but unable to erase the feelings that America had been seemingly raped by some foreign monsters claiming dominance and forceful control over our lives. It brought to mind the way sexual assault and domestic violence touch our everyday lives, even though we often choose not to hear of or admit to its occurrence. This event however was undeniable. I listened to the news and heard the president talk of “non-negotiable terms” and a “long hard fight.” These words brought their own sense of apprehension and uncertainty to my microcosm, pushing me to yield to another survival mechanism — disassociation. I made plans to meet my wife at City Light Bookstore in Sylva that Friday night for a reception and reading by author Thomas Crowe of his new translated poetry work, Drunk on the Wine of the Beloved. I somehow felt that a little shift of focus and even a momentary “non-terrorist” event would help us balance the past week’s disarray and concerns.

As it would be, the poetry discussed was translated from Hafiz, a Persian poet from the 14th century from what is now Iran and Iraq, geographically right next door to our newest adversary, Afghanistan.
The poetry spoke of being “intoxicated on the wondrous love of (God) the Beloved,” using wine and it’s effects as a metaphor for this feeling of union with the Divine. It struck me as paradoxical to hear the words of Peter Jennings’ rising body counts from New York mixed with such descriptive passion for the Divine and joy and celebration of life penned from the Middle East during the same evening. It occurred to me that we as Americans in these emotional days of regaining our balance and perspectives have a huge variety of sources, descriptions and viewpoints from which to extract our own perfect and consoling message. We each must find the words that provide us with access to that which is truly important and significant and beneficial to those we care for and surround ourselves with here in the mountains and across the nation.

The words of inspiration and love of America which we are hearing from many sides are inspiring a resurgence in patriotism and nationalism. Once again we are coming together as a united country, more Americans than regionalist. No longer are we a splintered collection of southerners and Yankees, Democrats and Republicans, or liberals and conservatives. We have been brought together by events that have jump-started our national unity. The question lies in how we shall demonstrate to the world what we have learned and how we shall put this new found unity and strength into positive action.

Maybe the incidents of Sept. 11 have served as a wake-up call to us that we do still share that sense of belonging with our neighbors and fellow countrymen, that we can pull together in times of need and crisis. That mortality is still something that none of us can deny regardless of our social standing, economic status or ethnic upbringing and that the words we choose to explain where we stand and describe what we feel can often reach across the boundaries of passion and war.

John Beckman is a building contractor and Operations Mgr. at Unahwi Ridge Community / Pomme de Terre Farm in Jackson County. He can be reached at www.unahwiridge.com

 

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