A crime against humanity THE SCENES of passenger-occupied commercial domestic airliners being wilfully flown directly into populated designated targets in Manhattan and Washington D.C. by deranged fanatics were terrifyingly surreal to say the least. Not even the illusionary computer wizardry of the special effects employed in the movies could supersede the magnitude of death and destruction that rained upon thousands of hapless innocent victims. No amount of movie magic and camera tricks could reproduce the real terror that unfurled right before our disbelieving eyes. Images of unimaginable horror have burnt their way indelibly into our memories and aroused the strongest of emotions within us all. We were witnesses to the single greatest act of terrorism committed on any one people to date. We were witnesses to a history-making and earth-shattering event. The United States of America is in the unenviable and unfortunate position of being the country that terrorists love to hate. No matter what grouses she may engender, these acts of murder are absolutely indefensible. This was a most reprehensible and dastardly act. It was an immensely foul and shameful exhibition of cowardice. No sane human mind could have conceived, planned and executed such a reptilian machination. What innocence there was left within that great metropolis disintegrated along with the bodies of the harmless souls caught up in the nightmarish conflagration. Never again will our American neighbours be able to rest in the belief that they are safe within their own sovereign United States. The electronic/communication sphere that we live in today makes the physical world a much smaller and accessible place. No longer do we simply hear of or read about catastrophic events such as these; anyone with a television set can experience it in real time. No longer is horror and mayhem passed on to us through secondhand words and images frozen in time. No longer do we experience terror through someone else's eyes and via journalistic impressions. No longer can we lay claim to a comfortable emotional distance, from which we are able to assimilate these events at our convenience, we are inexorably drawn into the very heart of the beast. The USA is a country of immigrants and we Jamaicans certainly contribute heavily to the work force of that nation. Every single family has at least one member resident within that country. I am reasonably certain that several of our own countrymen perished in the Manhattan disaster. This makes it all the more tangible to us here in Jamaica. It is important that we do not view this as an attack on the United States of America alone. This terrorist act strikes at the core of democracy and freedom everywhere. It rattles the very foundation of the various constitutions upon which the tenets of civil order and judicial practices are built. It threatens World peace and flies in the face of individual freedom. It was a crime against humanity. As the dust clears we will realise that death failed to distinguish between black and white, rich and poor, young and old, big and small, male and female, visitor, landed immigrant and citizen. As we count our dead among the victims, we will realise that we too have been attacked and violated by warped zealots. Modern day technology has shortened physical distances and broken down the barriers to communication. Our various societies are now so intertwined that we can no longer remain merely sympathetic spectators. We have become inextricably involved in conflicts that affect one another because we are all citizens of the world and this transcends any insular ideation. We know that the United States will retaliate against the perpetrators of this crime against humanity. The last thing that we want however is a messy, jagged and protracted engagement that may eventually drag sympathisers to the zealots into the fray. We the citizens of Earth do not wish to have the threat of widespread conflict tower over us because of the events that have taken place on Tuesday September 11, 2001. There has already been enough pain and suffering to last an entire lifetime. Some perverted terrorists actually believe that by their actions they have secured a place for themselves in 'Heaven'. I cannot even begin to envision any 'Heaven' that will accommodate any soul responsible for carnage and anguish. From the point of view of Mother Earth our bodies are all just borrowed, temporarily animated dust. We are from dust and to dust we shall return. She awaits our incorporation back into the natural cycle of things. Our comings and goings have no real impact on her evolution. However, from the point of view of our Heavenly Father we are His spiritual children who temporarily inhabit bodies of dust that will be cast aside one day. He awaits our incorporation back into the spiritual realm and is only really concerned with our spiritual sojourn and development while here on earth. How we treat our brothers and sisters is far more important than whether we live or die. Christian precepts and teachings are replete with lessons advocating that we serve God and attempt to treat others, as we would wish to be treated. Herein lies the key to the pathway to Heaven. Dr. Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
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