September 11 Reflections

Anniversaries are a good time to reflect, and so here in Australia and across much of the world there has been a remembering of the events of September 11, 2001. One of the main topics of interest is a kind of major event frozen-moment reflection: "Where were you when you heard about the attacks on America?" Much like for older people, "Where were you when man landed on the moon?"

I'm interested in symbolism, metaphor and the big picture as much as the small-scale and personal. I love the texture of narrative and people's stories of the day, and I listen to the grief and tragedy and the sheer monstrous horror of what happened; but when discussion remains on the level of the personal story, something is missing.

I had a picture in my mind 10 years ago that still feels relevant: the barbarians are at the gates of Rome. What does this mean? The United States, the most powerful nation on the planet, is the contemporary equivalent of classical Rome, the most powerful empire of its time. Rome, over-reaching itself militarily and economically, suffered a long decline that ended with devastation at the hands of Germanic invaders. America, over-reaching itself and dependent on gigantic military spending, is on a downward slope from which it might not recover.

The barbarians are at the gates. The demons emerge from America's long shadow and go on the attack. America's contribution to the world has been enormous and incredibly enervating in many ways - think of the symbolism of freedom ignited by its revolution and the far-reaching effects of its ideals; think of its key role in stopping Nazism and fascism in World War II; think of the potency of its culture, its music, its cutting-edge thought and research in my different areas. Yet as it has created, so it has also wrecked and destroyed. The shadow of America's elevation of the ideals of freedom and individual liberty has been its own narrow self-interest, love of power and vast over-inflation. Here's a telling example: 3000 people died in the 9/11 terror attacks, but at least 300,000 (according to some reports) as a result of America's mad invasion of Iraq. Add to that the millions who lost their lives in various conflicts in south-east Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa either directly at the hands of US forces or through bloody dictatorships supported and funded by Washington.

In many respects, the US stands for the past and what is no longer relevant or life-enhancing. In some parts of the world, individual liberty and freedom of expression are still goals for which people strive, yet there is an emerging paradigm that goes beyond that framework. We are seeing the slow dawning of a global civilization in which the notion of the self is expanded beyond the individual and what is good for me, my tribe, my country. Its central notion is that we are all one on this fragile, beautiful planet. Global climate change and the interconnection of economic and communications systems make such a broadening of human horizons seem inevitable. In the meantime there are questions about how the old powers, the old ways, will be transformed. Can the unleashing of forces at a time of great change be harnessed to the creation of the new order, or must the barbarians rush ever more violently to sack Rome?