Reflections On September 11: 
A Year Later, Sailing Toward Japan

On September 11, a most tragic moment in history, the diversity of the human race became very apparent. Differences of values, beliefs, and worldview caused a reaction to a conflict that ideally would have had another resolution.

One thing has become evident from this moment in time that will live forever. Not only is diversity a fact of life, it is essential to life. Our task is to learn somehow to find harmony within our differences. Diversity is just as important and necessary in the human race as it is in the human body. The many parts of the human body, each unique with its own characteristics, are a powerful model of unity in diversity. It is my hope – and belief – that the human race will someday realize its own similar oneness.

Separation and conflict in the human race need not be our destiny. Diversity need not mean separation. Our challenge as human beings is to be able to see our intended wholeness while still maintaining and honoring our diversity, and recognizing the uniqueness and the richness that each group contributes to the whole.

With September 11, we have become more aware of our differences as well as of our interconnectedness. Everyday, everywhere, we see signs of our interdependence. This awareness can turn our conflicts into opportunities for further growth, into moments of truth along our path toward maturity. Differences will continue to exist, but the separation between us can become less and less with each conflict that we face with justice and equity.

September 11 is a day of remembrance, a day of remembering the diversity of the human race, a day of remembering the value, the preciousness, of each individual, and a day of remembering our promise as a human race, that of living as one.

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