Reach Across Differences
By Reverend Mark Farr, Faith-Based Initiatives Director, HandsOn Network
Nine years ago, our nation took the body blow that was 9/11.
We wondered who could be capable of such evil?
We were shaken to the core: was there, after all, a limit to diversity and tolerance?
And yet, when we all stood up again, we looked around to see a country big enough to absorb even this, and still embrace each other.
It was as if E Pluribus Unum itself had come to life.
It was amazing.
On that day, I saw the smoke from the Pentagon, burning hot and black and hideous, from my office window.
I still remember my first reaction was to go down there and pull anyone I could from that place.
No one was asking about ethnicity or the faith of those who were saved—or those who died.
We still live in the same country. The same people, and the same spirit is ours, same as nine years back: Christians and Muslims and Hindus and atheists and Jews and left and right and all of us.
The call and the response to serve is still with us, perhaps stronger now.
For us as Americans, from the founding of our country, service runs in our bloodstream. In service, we demonstrate our unity and rise above our differences for a greater good.
So, here’s how I put it together now, nine years on. The commemoration of this day, through civic engagement, more than any other day, unites us as a nation. It tells each one of us that life is fragile, each one precious, no matter our personal beliefs.
It speaks to us about courage, about how love of country sometimes turns, uninvited, into an act of service: a boy in a firefighter’s arms, a blood drive, a simple embrace of someone not at all like me. It tells us that we are a people with common ground.
So—speaking now as a first generation immigrant—God bless America.
I believe that service is a unique vehicle, not only to do good—but to connect.
I believe that this day expresses our oneness. I believe that to serve is to express love of country, and love for humanity.
Even though I may never be called to the self-sacrifice of that terrible day, what better way do I have to express tolerance, diversity, and understanding than through civic service?
What better way to reach across differences than to actually find a service project with Americans who look or talk or believe nothing like me?
I welcome your own thoughts and responses. And for each of us, it is our challenge to find an appropriate way to embrace all the meanings of this day.
I hope service plays a part.
Related Posts:
Remembering 9/11 by Giving Back
Repair The World by Leah Koenig
Remembering 9/11 by Giving Back
September 11, Day of Service & Remembrance
Volunteer for the 9/11 Day of Service
Don’t Let it Be Just Another Day
Reflections on 9/11
Day of Service with Jersey Cares
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