It seemed an appropriate symbol for the day, Sept. 11, 2006, exactly five years after terrorists’ attacks on U.S. soil.

"Hope" was also the theme of the public presentation held that evening in Lehman Auditorium at 草莓社区 that explored ways people respond to daily acts of violence.

Renowned trauma expert Kathe Weingarten spoke on this complex issue in offering a "compassionate response to violence in a post-September 11 world."

Dr. Kathe Weingarten offers "a compassionate response to violence" in a Sept. 11 address at EMU.
Photo by Jim Bishop

Dr. Weingarten, a clinical psychologist and Harvard Medical School faculty member, recalled the "beautiful morning of September 11, 2001" as she began the day at her home in Massachusetts.

Two hours later, she watched the unfolding drama on television as the flaming twin towers of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan collapsed – "an unthinkable event."

"These years later, the challenge remains to take the kind of effective actions that make the world a safer place for everyone," she said. "That includes addressing the root causes of terrorism and reducing the level of fear that inhibits us from compassionate action."

Weingarten discussed the phenomenon of what she calls "common shock" that occurs when persons witness violence or are personally violated – in such everyday situations as road rage, altercations in public places, parents screaming at their children.

"Responding to violent acts with compassion is not an easy road," she said. "Good-hearted people often feel disempowered. They turn off the television, become numb, feel saturated or even act prematurely without having the facts."

Biggest Obstacle, Fear

The biggest obstacle in moving from passive witness to effective action is fear, the speaker said, a tenacious emotion that isn’t healthy on the individual or corporate level." She cited parents who sheltered their children from the reality of 9-11 or government leaders who use fear to advance a particular agenda or to wield power over the disenfranchised.

"A compassionate act often begins slowly and ripples out in unexpected ways," Weingarten said. As first steps, she advocated "using the gifts you already have, select an individual focus to keep from becoming overwhelmed, and participate in activities of remembrance and celebration along the way."

She noted that the emotions associated with pain and with empathy both originate in the same region of the human brain.

"We are wired to care, for that is the hope of this planet," Weingarten told the audience. "It is up to us to preserve our home. We wouldn’t even be here [in this setting] this evening if we didn’t care, so get busy for the sake of us all."

The speaker closed by affirming the EMU mission statement that includes a commitment to "do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God."

Weingarten continued the "hope in a world of despair" theme in a chapel talk Tuesday, Sept. 12 at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, interacted with EMU faculty at a luncheon meeting and led a workshop for student leaders on practical steps to enhance resilience and sustain hope.

Weingarten’s visit was supported by a Lilly Endowment grant and sponsored by EMU’s and .

By Heather Bowser, Daily News-Record

Not all treasures are locked away in banks or buried in chests beneath the ocean.

Last week, one classroom on 草莓社区

By Ron Kraybill

We read recently of yet more findings about torture conducted by American soldiers at Abu Ghraib. One wonders about the sickness of people who use dogs in a competition to make boys wet themselves in fear. But of course, we are re-assured by other news. The atrocities were committed by a few individuals; only 66 substantiated cases of abuses. A few bad apples. Discard them and get on with the show . . .

Would that it were so simple.

I have clear memories of a popular attitude in the U.S., regularly fed by some media commentators, that we are in such grave danger from ruthless people that it is now time to “take off the gloves,” set aside all restraint and do whatever is necessary to find and eliminate them. Right-wing columnists openly advocated use of torture against suspects. One had the impression that many ordinary people would not have objected. The Bush administration mounted an aggressive effort to contain the ability of courts to protect rights of individuals suspected of terrorism.

Cautions against the dangers of disregarding longstanding principles of fair process were met with derision. When such attitudes are rampant both at the level of national leadership and popular culture, it is inevitable that individuals in the Armed Forces will act on them in moments of fear and exhaustion.

Who can blame fearful people traumatized by 911 for wanting to set aside the restraints of principles in a struggle to survive? But in Abu Ghraib we see the consequences of yielding principle to emotion. The damage that has been done to our national credibility globally is vast.

What we claimed to seek was worthy: democracy for others, security and the diminishment of threat for ourselves. But our willingness to set aside principles that for generations helped create a national tradition with many elements of greatness has now put us in more long-term danger than ever.

Today it is easy for extremists to paint us to the masses of the world as hypocritical and ruthless. In such an environment, those prepared to scheme against us will multiply. That the extremists exaggerate and are hypocritical themselves is undeniable. That our actions have assisted them in their goal of discrediting us and rousing vast populations globally against us is also undeniable. Our actions have contributed to our long-term risk.

How then to reduce the risk? Until a few decades ago, national security was achievable by simple strategies of destroying enemies. That era is now gone forever. Weapons of today are tiny, powerful and relatively cheap. Modern life depends on permeable borders, unrestrained communication and vast quantities of imports.

Terrorists capitalize on this, blending in with ordinary people on the move. And their guerilla strategies are actually assisted by our reliance on methods of search and destroy. Though relatively few in numbers, terrorists depend on a massive and invasive response from us to do that which they are incapable of doing for themselves: bringing large numbers into active sympathy for their cause. Because we fail to recognize the limitations of our out-dated strategy for security, our response has played into the hands of those scheming against us.

Our only hope for security lies in draining the swamps of enmity that breed the crocodiles of terror. This does not rule out measures in defense against the ruthless individuals now roaming. But the longer we rely primarily on elimination of threatening persons for our security, the longer we postpone getting to the root of the problem.

Terrorism thrives on human misery. Until we make a global campaign against misery itself the foundation for our security, until we invest in addressing it as aggressively as we currently invest in strategies of search and destroy, our vulnerability will increase. Construction, not destruction, must be our primary strategy for security in today

The electronic chimes on the roof of Lehman Auditorium will toll at 9, 10, 11 and at noon Saturday “to remember the 9-11 tragedy and to serve as a call to pray for the building up of relationships between people from various cultures throughout the world,” according to EMU campus pastor Brian Martin Burkholder.

Burkholder also announced that the Harrisonburg Interfaith Association will sponsor a gathering at 8:30 a.m. at Court Square Theater, downtown Harrisonburg, to remember the victims of the 9-11 disasters and “to recognize, appreciate and affirm the work of our first responders: fire, police, rescue and clergy.” Church bells throughout the city and county will be rung several times that morning to mark the day.