Robert on Universal Values

Mike's Note: Our friend Robert writes...

I was taken by the picture from London last week on Mike's blog:

I was instantly struck by the emotion the sign expressed.  After they were attacked, Britons felt they wanted to reach out to the world, to recognize our universal values.  This apparently made them more comfortable in their sorrow and grief.  That is a very different response than United We Stand, singing God Bless America at every 7th inning stretch and everyone wearing flags on their lapels.  After they were attacked, Americans felt the need to circle the wagons, to pull back, to retrench.  I'm not criticizing this gut-level response as much as saddened by it.  I have never felt closer to America than on September 12th, 2001.  I am not alone.  The headline of the Parisian paper Le Monde the day after 9/11 was: "We are all Americans Now."   What a difference a few years can make.  America feels its friends and allies abandoned her and many of these people feel that America lost her way following the attacks.  I'm not sure Americans felt the depth and breadth of the global outpouring of affection after they were attacked.  I'm not sure if the US media made it clear how truly unified the world was at that time.  I don't know if knowing that would have had any impact on America's sense of security or in the attitudes or decisions since then but I believe that, just as the photo of Londoners implies, we need to have courage during these times to open our hearts and trust in the humanity of our brothers and sisters.

Comments

[Mac]

Bush had unprecedented world support following the attacks which could have brought about amazing results as well as severely limiting terrorism. Instead he chose to use it to cover his plan for the Middle East, for Oil and to make his cronies in the defense industries rich.

And the world rightly distrusts us. I distrust us.