Late thoughts

I wanted to write about September 11th yesterday, but I felt a little overwhelmed. It's one of those subjects that, unless you know what you're really speaking about and have experienced it directly, then best leave it alone. I will say that I remember it was a beautiful fall day, and I remember all the white circles in the sky from airplanes that had been ordered to turn around and land. I remember watching the people on tv with pictures in their hands; pictures of family members who they were desperately looking for. It was chaos. It was terrible. Ten years seem like nothing, and I pray all of those who lost a loved one that day as I'm sure their pain is still fresh.

As I was explaining the memorials to Julia last night and why it all happened, all I could think was that no one on this earth should ever hate another person so much that they want to kill or cause pain. That the second we feel hatred, we should find a way to diffuse it, to find a solution to whatever is making us think we'd have a right to hate. I couldn't explain all that to a little girl, but I felt like I needed to say it to myself as a human being. We all should stop whatever we are doing, every once in a while, and remember that the strongest people on this earth are those who treat every one else with love and respect, even if it means they feel as if they've lost something. It is better to lose a little dignity than it is to hurt another human. It is better to be laughed at than it is to hate. There's that song by Paul McCartney, Fool on the Hill, about being an outsider with the weight of the world, yet the world is laughing. In my experience, those who laugh at others are incredibly insecure people. So . . . be a fool, be a clown, let people laugh. No one will see the massive muscles of your beautiful soul, but believe me, the world will feel it.