Deep Thoughts... By Cara Ramelow

I went to the gym this morning to work out on the stair stepper. They have 4 different TV's going all on different channels. 3 of them were local news programs - all working very hard to scare the crap out of people regarding Ike. One of them was tuned to MSNBC, which was covering the anniversary of 9/11. At first, I was enveloped in the Ike coverage. I had looked over at MSNBC a few times, but saw Bush speaking, so I quickly turned my attention (this is a natural reaction of mine in order to keep my dislike for him from boiling up from my core). Not to mention, I think a lot of the time they exploit the memory of 9/11 in the news media for ratings on it's anniversary. It irritates me to an extent. I believe those that lost their lives in 9/11 should never be forgotten, but their stories shouldn't serve as 'entertainment' every year on this date.

At one point, I turned my attention to MSNBC and realized that they were playing the actual footage from 9/11 in real time. As I worked out and listened to my ipod, I started watching the coverage (the subtitles were scrolling across the screen). At one point, I saw the second plane crash into the WTC. At that exact instant, The Beatles "All You Need is Love" was playing on my ipod. At that moment, my eyes filled with tears and I was unable to stop them from streaming down my face.

All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.

All the feelings and horror from that day came flooding back. EVERYBODY who lived through that tragedy remembers where and how they felt watching the world as we know it disappear. As I worked out, sweating, pushing myself to my limits, I totally became removed from what my body was physically doing. I was breathing hard, sweating like a pig, and my thighs were on fire. But, as I watched the events from that horrific day unfold (again) right before my eyes, all I could feel was the emotional terror, sense of loss, and despair all over again.

The next song to shuffle through my ipod was Dave Matthews Band "Everyday".

Pick me up, love, from the bottom
Up onto the top, love, everyday
Pay no mind to taunts or advances
I'm gonna take my chances on everyday
...
All you need is
All you want is
All you need is love.
All you need is
What you want is
All you need is love.

So fitting, I thought. But, both songs blaring in my ear as I watched the coverage were almost too hard to bear. Seven years ago, many lives were lost, and many more were changed forever. The evil terrorists that did this & supported this wouldn't know true, compassionate love if it slapped them in the face. Sometimes love just isn't enough.

Or is it?

If everyone in this world were morally governed by a REAL sense of love and compassion, wouldn't this world be free of human inflicted tragedies? I know the world is a scary place and that is not possible, but, at the same time, I am encouraged by the goodness of humanity in response to tragedy. People that sacrifice their own lives for the chance to save another... people who give of themselves to care for those that have lost everything... people who risk their own lives to protect others. These people are everywhere and that makes me proud to be a member of the human race.

Yes, I think, in the end, no matter what hardships we face, there is always love to help lift us out of our Hell.

I'll hold on to that belief as Ike gets closer and closer to us. The event will unfold as God sees fit. There may be a lot of destruction. There may be lives lost. Who knows. But, what I do know is that people will rise up, love thy neighbor, and give completely of themselves for the benefit of others.

As always, in the end, love and compassion will prevail. Not tragedy.

(Spoken like a true liberal, huh? Now, Back to more lighthearted fare...)