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OSG Home > Opensewer 10 > Columbus |
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Opensewer 9 Columbus Discussion Summary Wednesday,
August 10, 2001, 7:00 PM at the Dragonfly
Annex, 247 King Avenue, Columbus, OH, 43201. By Joshua Kaufman Dragonfly Annex, the exhibit/lounge space next to Dragonfly Neo-V restaurant, provided an excellent venue for Opensewer 10. Nearly all of the participants were coerced to inspect the several intriguing pieces that were on exhibition, the most noticeable of which was a large silver dome which housed several suspended chairs. After a brief introduction to Opensewer by Wes Lindamood, I began by reciting a short summary of the terrorist attacks and the events that followed. I then described the three areas that I would like the discussion to cover: international issues, national (United States) issues and personal issues. As I think we all expected, it wasn't difficult to delve into each of these areas. I started the discussion by asking about the purpose of the attacks: Was it an attack against America or something much broader? One man thought that it was an attack against the way we live, particularly as Christians. Many others held the idea that it had more to do with our decadent culture as Americans than our dominant religion. We all agreed that although the attacks apparently had a specific purpose, the implications were multi-layered. Related to the purpose of the attacks, the topic of the religious culture surrounding the terrorists came up several times. It was stated that many Americans simply don't understand the Islamic culture or beliefs, particularly that of extremists. It is clear that many of these extremists hate America. Many of the extremists also believe that their earthly life doesn't matter and their actions will be rewarded in the afterlife. Thus, it is easy for them to twist the peaceful ideas of Islam into doing evil, even though Islamic leaders worldwide have denounced their terrorist acts. Many different ideas were suggested as to how we should be dealing with the attacks. One suggestion was to use an international force to restore order instead of only the United States retaliating. (Even though many countries have pledged alliance to the United States, we are responsible for nearly all of the bombing efforts.) By reacting in the typical American fashion, we are only making more enemies. It was suggested that we should do more to reach out to the moderate Muslims in the area which might help to slowly build alliances with those countries where we currently have many enemies. Most agreed that in today's world, we need to be more creative when dealing with such sensitive issues. The last major area that we discussed were the personal issues related to the attacks. How are we living our lives differently than we did before September 11? Besides simply noticing planes much more, we are all more appreciative of each new day. Many stated that they didn't feel protected. One man stated that he felt the U.S. should have been more diligent to protect its citizens instead of ordering the immediate military action. Although it was only briefly brought up in our discussion, defining terrorism is very important. As we call these acts against our nation "terrorism," we must realize that the United States has committed acts that could also be considered such. While not widely agreed upon, it was debated that bombing Japan at the end of WWII as well as our military efforts in Nicaragua could be considered terrorist acts. The discussion ended on a positive note. After the question "What's the point of this?" arose, everyone seemed to agree that they had gained something from the diverse opinions, ideas and suggestions shared. It was another successful Opensewer Gathering in Columbus. A Big Thanks to everyone who showed up!
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