Accidentals Bring Character

On Sept 7 of this year the Feds took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and several of the largest banks in America had failed or were on the brink of failure. I think it is interesting that it was 7 years ago when we experienced the worst attack on American soil in the history of this nation. As the days and hours unfolded in early September of 2008, the impeding doom of financial markets created widespread speculation and anxiety was running high around the world. You could see it in our leader’s eyes and hear it in their voices as they tried to assure Americans and investors from around the world that we would survive this financial crisis.

In reflecting on 9/11 I found I remember how I felt when I first got the call to turn on the TV to see the news reports of the first plane crashing into the first World Trade Center tower. While we were watching the TV in shock most of us were just trying to comprehend what just happened and how? How could a plane just fly right into one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world? You know when you hear an unexpected crashing sound or explosion, it seems like it takes an eternity for your mind to stop spinning and return to some sort of sense of being in control. I think for most, with the exception of Osama Bin Laden, the next 20 or 30 minutes were somewhat like that until the other plane appeared and with cameras rolling it flew directly into the 2^nd World Trade Center tower. Then reality started to set in that this was indeed a deliberate act of war and there would be massive repercussions. The questions were unlimited but no one really knew what the world would look like at the end of the day.

I don’t want to diminish the significance of that day by making the comparison because so many people lost their husband or wife, son or daughter, mom or dad or close friend. On September 11, 2001 we lost a part of our nation in that we, as a people who waved the stars and stripes recognizing the freedom and security we had celebrated with pride was now in vulnerable. There’s no comparison when you consider the sacrifice on that day and since as we have seen so many give their lives to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

So I dare to make this comparison in how we react --- not in the significance of the two events. Each has its impact on families, security and the well being of our democracy. While we watched the leaders of our great nation try to sort thru the impact of the stock market crashing leading us into a possible deep depression, were we in fact in somewhat of a fog like the days following 9/11? It’s such a hopeless feeling, not knowing how it will end. When I was a kid I had a recurring dream that I was falling and I just kept falling, and falling and falling until I would wake up in a panic. Then it would take what seemed like an eternity to realize it was just bad dream. For millions of Americans, their lives are surely like the “falling” I felt in the dream. Their life savings invested in what is now worthless paper and nothing left to show for their life of work and saving. The reaction is the key to our recovery.

After 9/11/01 we had to change. And now, after September 2008, we will need to resolve to push through this financial crisis with dignity. After all, if you are still breathing and reading this blog, it is likely you are going to survive. We must resolve to find and punish those who were responsible for this crisis, but more importantly, we must make sure we help those who are less fortunate. I’m not talking about socialism run by government bureaucrats but through the spirit of love and concern for your neighbor we can change the outcome street by street, city by city. Down in the trenches where the American spirit really lives, not in a back room in Washington is where we will win this war. For those of us who understand that Christianity is anchored in the tenants of faith that we “love God first” and if we do, we will love our neighbor and help them find their way. That’s not socialism, it true Christianity that made this the greatest nation in the history of the world. To think we need to change that is quite possibly the next greatest tragedy we could face as a “Christian” nation.

I’d like to draw a correlation to how we respond and a musical composition. The accidental is part of what gives character to a piece of music. When we were in band competitions, we would have to play a series of pieces that we had never played before. They called it sight reading. The notations were all there but the beauty of it was being able to conduct all 60 or so of the individual musicians to read the notes while at the same time interpreting the music to reflect the creative inspiration of the composer. I hated the accidentals. Even though the director would tell us to mark them they always came as a surprise once we got going. The beauty in it was we worked together as a unit to create a performance that required us to give up some of our individuality and independence to create sounds that once were just black dots and markings on a piece of paper. It was impossible to know how that music would sound by just looking at the individual parts. If someone missed a note it was usually one of those accidentals.

As Americans, there are a lot of people who think they have the answer, but in fact, if we compare it to a composition, nobody really knows how the music will sound when we play it back. Sometimes, what we may consider a mistake in American life and subsequent history is just like a musical composition in progress. Let’s hope this is one we can be proud of.