Airplane Terrorism
William Bloom |
 Watching the television news about the planned terrorist attacks on flights between the UK and the US, my first feelings and thoughts are, strangely, ones of gratitude. What a blessed fifty years those of us in western Europe have had since the end of the world war. In the background, of course, was the hum of the Cold War and nuclear threat, but what a party and transformation it has been for us. Peace and parties. The 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s. And now we hit reality.
Our cultural revolution - feminism, multiculturalism, the death of patriarchy, the creative dynamism of youth, the freedom of gender and sexuality, the spiritual revolution - have been profoundly meaningful. These great social changes have yet to play out fully on the global stage, but they will in time, for we are an evolving species and the future will bring freedom and fulfillment for all humanity.
But during these decades, so enjoyable for many of us, 30,000 children a day have been dying of starvation and malnutrition; genocides, wars, abject poverty, brutality and repression have been continuing for the majority of our global community.
This terrorist attack on our freedom to travel was aimed at hundreds, perhaps thousands of innocents, and it can bring home to us that the party-party and bling-bling of our culture cannot continue oblivious to the wider suffering. This is no apologia for the terrorist mentality, but only to suggest that we are indeed part of a global community and it was naïve to think that we could continue to avoid the crises.
For me, the fun of the western life style has in recent years reached an apex of vulgarity in the cult of celebrity, spin and reality tv. As a society, we have been like Nero fiddling. The shallowness of today's media stuff, crass commercialism and so much new age spirituality, especially the banal narcissism and escapism, are bad enough. But in the face of the global crises, they are an affront. We need to awaken from the comfortable spell. Enough of stuffing our faces, stuffing our cars, stuffing our planes, stuffing ourselves with happiness. Enough of ignoring that self-gratification is damaging.
Of course there are many voices of goodwill fully aware of the need for social and environmental justice, but few of us have felt the pain and crisis of our wider global community. In the drama of this current crisis, we are so close to all those children, women and men who might have died, that today many of us can feel it. The solution to the crises lies in our passion for healing, justice and transformation - not in a lukewarm interest and occasional charitable gesture.
We know by now that through the links of history, commerce, spirituality and ancestry that we are all implicated in every aspect of global events.
So we wake up to greater mindfulness and engagement of the heart.
Mm. Is this preaching? Perhaps. Or maybe it is just noise. If so, minimally its the noise of a brother connecting and affirming our community.
www.williambloom.com |
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