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A Brave and Compassionate Response

By Michael C. Gilbert, September 11, 2001
 

Last night as I stayed up, I listened to the news and read email from our subscribers. The two created an interesting tension. As my fears built up from what I heard on the news, my hopes were buoyed by the open heartedness of the email I was reading. And because I truly believe in what I wrote yesterday -- that the only thing we truly control is our own response -- I wrote this piece.

There is an amazing and wonderful thing that happens in the darkest times. Right now, most of the people of the United States and many throughout the world are asking themselve the definitive question of all nonprofit work: How can I make a difference?

It's the question that millions of people who follow their heart in their work ask themselves every day, because they see that they are needed. Today, almost everyone sees that they are needed. We do not want to be powerless in the midst of such suffering and injustice. We want to do something.

There is a horrible dark side to this desire: The desire to make a difference can quickly lead to a sense of helplessness. We're afraid of that sense of helplessness and that fear can drive us either to inaction or to irresponsible action. It's a sad and familiar story.

The alternative, of course, is to be brave and compassionate in our response.

I'm not saying we need to be brave enough to face down an enemy (although we may), but that we need to be brave enough to face down our own fears. I'm not saying that we need to be gentle or compassionate with the enemy (although we may), I'm saying we need to be gentle with ourselves. This is the only way we can get past the trap of helplessness and discover actions that are deeply consistent with our values.

My concern today is not with inaction. I am far more deeply concerned that we will pursue irresponsible action. In particular, I am concerned that we will do two things: I'm afraid we'll be drawn to acts of vengence that perpetuate the violence. I'm afraid we will be willing to sacrifice the very liberties that make us the target of people who do not share our belief in them.

Already ethnic violence has been committed against cab drivers and shop owners of Middle Eastern origin. Calls for attacks on absolutely anyone we could possibly hold responsible are getting a great deal of air time. The reality of perpetuating violence is made terrifyingly clear when we remember that it was the CIA that funded and trained Osama bin Laden and many other terrorist organizations around the world.

Already polls confirm once again that people are willing to sacrifice their civil liberties for illusions of greater security. Senators are using the news coverage to promote laws reducing the legal controls on the CIA. We need to remember the effect the burning of the Reichstag had on the willingness of a country to sacrifice their liberty.

But the compassion that has led thousands of people to volunteer their time, their money, and their blood to the victims of these attacks is the same compassion that can help us past our fears. If we do not harden ourselves to our own vulnerability, we are more likely to be able to act in accordance with our values.

The United States has a lot to be proud of. We should be proud of our extraordinary philanthropic sector, which has overwhelmingly endorsed the path of compassion both at home and abroad. We should be proud of our civil liberties and defend them within our borders. Compassion and liberty make us strong.

I don't yet know what a brave and compassionate response would be. In fact, I don't want to rush toward an answer. I want to live with the questions for a while. I want to listen to the feelings of my peers and share my feelings in turn. There will be no easy answers and I hope that none of us swallow the easy answers that will be offered us. They won't speak to our best selves.

Many of you have done a great job of distributing resources to help people act on their compassion for the victims of this horrible crime. I invite you to send me suggested resources through our Contact Us form, in the areas of genuine peace making and the defense of civil liberties, so that we can carry that compassion forward.

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