Defying Gravity

I am not the same person I was on September 11, 2001, and I am reticent to admit it, but I’m struggling to make sense of the killing of Osama bin Laden from a values based leadership perspective.

I personally knew people who were killed in the Towers. I have friends, colleagues and children of good friends serving in all branches of the armed forces. My father and grandmother were World War II veterans. I have the deepest respect and appreciation for the men and women who so willingly sacrifice so much of themselves, their families, and often their own lives, for our country, and in my soul I know that the very freedom I experience today, the privilege of the Ph.D. program itself, the opportunities for my children, are owed in significant part to them and those who came before. So I offer these thoughts not about individuals at all, but as humanity. As the community of the human race.

When I heard the news this morning, I forced myself to take the time to reflect on my feelings. I felt heavy. I still feel heavy. I can’t help but wonder what purpose it has served. I can only answer for myself, so I asked myself these questions, and I was surprised by the answers. Do I feel closure? Will this be the end of the war? I feel neither of those. Do I feel safer? No. Do I feel justice was served? Do the survivors and families of the victims? I don’t think his death makes up for theirs. I don’t see how violence will create peace.

After my last blog, a couple of friends commented about values being individual, and representing our internal compass. They said that perhaps there are universal values, such as peace and the sanctity of life, yet those very values seem to elude humanity. Perhaps the values are really peace and sanctity of life of people who act the same and believe the same, but not for those who threaten our definition of “right” or “same”? If our enemies act in accordance with their internal compass, how can we say our values are right and theirs are wrong?

The paradoxes of individuality and intimacy say that the only way for us to become fully individuated is to become fully part of the group, and acceptance of self depends on acceptance of others. Could the answer be in understanding and compassion? In making ourselves vulnerable so that someone can really know us? In taking the time to appreciate our differences and, in seeing our differences, to realize that we are more alike than we are different? To accept that to understand you, I don’t have to lose me?

I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll try defying gravity, as I think Elphaba got it right in the end.

Elphaba Trying to Defy Gravity - if only Glinda was on board....