Confronting September 11: Introduction from Marc Gopin
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One
of the cornerstones of civil society is the capacity to live with more
than one identity. People speak to us so much when we are young about
finding our identity, or the search for our identity. Throughout
history people have developed the capacity to see themselves as having
many identities, and become comfortable with all of them or most of
them. Let's invent an example: I am American, but also of Irish and
Native American background, but also a young woman, but also a
reasonably religious Christian, but also a Republican, but also
pro-choice, but also a life long fan of Star Trek. Each one of these
identities gives me a slightly different view of the world and a
different set of things to think about and feel. The more I can allow
all of these identities to coexist inside of me, the broader my
perspective will be on coexistence with others, with the diversity of
people in my country and on the planet. The more rigid my identity,
however, the more singular, the more I tend to suppress all the
richness inside me as well as inside others.
It turns out that this is the same in the
political life of civilizations. The more that people and whole
civilizations suppress the multiplicity and diversity of our
identities, the more they will see themselves in constant struggle with
others. A clash of civilizations is something that we human beings
choose to create. It does not exist inside civilizations. Civilizations
have just as many things in common with each other as they have things
that are different or contradictory. It is we who decide that we live
with others or over against others, that diversity is strength or that
diversity is a threat. It is we who decide to be grateful for or
fearful of the existence of other groups and civilizations. The first
sections of the readings below will struggle with the question of
identity and the future coexistence or struggle of many civilizations
living on the same small planet.
One of the most painful things to emerge
from the recent wars that we have all been exposed to is that we all
must develop a deeper, more sober view of the potential of organized
religion to contribute to war or to peace, to intolerance or to
coexistence. This is not a new lesson of history, but recent events
have forced all of us to revisit this reality. Since the beginning of
time great spiritual minds and courageous people of vision in all
cultures, in all corners of the globe, have evolved a rich tapestry of
oral and written literature, stories, rituals, and symbols, which
express the most exalted ethical values. This spiritual legacy is
actually responsible for inspiring indirectly, and sometimes directly,
the great modern ideas of human rights and democracy. At the same time
these people of vision gave rise to organized religions which have
inspired millions to live ethical, decent, lives, while inspiring
others to live lives of intolerance, hatred, and even mass murder. No
organized religion has escaped this dual legacy over the long course of
human history, despite the greatest hopes of its spiritual masters. We
will explore this dual legacy in an attempt to understand the complex
world around us, the mixture of good and bad trends in all cultures. We
will also learn what we must defend democracy against, and, at the same
time, what opportunities exist for cross-civilizational and
inter-religious cooperation. The promise and peril of the future of the
planet exist side by side, and it will be up to us which way we sway an
emerging global civilization.
Much of the struggle of recent months has
been over events in the Middle East, and specifically in countries such
as Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is wonderful to think in the abstract
about identity, spirituality and religion, and democracy. But the hard
work of intellectual maturity and responsible citizenship comes in
understanding the details of human experience. We dare not speak in
generalities and remain ignorant of the facts about specific places and
their particular circumstances. We are all called upon to make tough
ethical choices all the time. It is in the very nature of responsible
citizenship. Just as a doctor dares not come to conclusions about a
patient until she knows every relevant medical detail, it is the same
with us as we try to extend our judgments to issues in places very far
away. A doctor takes the general mandate to heal and extends it into
lifelong study of medicine as well as the specific details of each
patient's condition. A good citizen takes the general moral principles
of truth, justice, fairness, compassion, and human rights, and extends
them into the complex details of every place on the planet that his
vote may affect. All the way from distant countries to remote natural
habitats, we have a responsibility to know our values well, internalize
them, and then study the complex details of individual places that may
be affected by our actions and moral choices.
In this section we will study the
specifics of struggling with terrorists and their origins and the
complex questions around religion and state, Islam and democracy, and
the status of women in the Middle East. Our purpose will be to
understand the problems and potential of this region of the world and
to see a paradigm of a world religion struggling with its values and
its future. Only through this deeper knowledge can we make informed
decisions as to how to interact with and respond to the specifics of
other cultures, religions, and civilizations. Islam is a religion that
exists all over the world, and it dominates the life of the politically
volatile Middle East. And so it becomes important to know the specifics
of a religion in its particular contexts and to not generalize about
its expression in other parts of the world. This is where humility and
careful inquiry are the keys to wisdom.
From the specifics of one region we
return to our deeper questions about the future of global civilization,
especially as they pertain to world religions, the status of women, and
war and peace as they interact with our fundamental values, and the
prospects for global commitments to human rights, democracy, and civil
society. The difficult interaction between modern attempts at democracy
and diversity, on the one side, and traditional religions, on the
other, in some ways boils down to questions of rights and
responsibilities. The great visionaries of democracy and modern life
saw before them a world that cried out for the unconditional rights of
every human being, no matter how different, no matter how poor, no
matter what his race or religion. Traditional religion always sought to
inculcate values and responsibilities to guide what each of us must do.
Some of these duties and rights have clashed; there has been a clash of
rights and duties in the hearts of many. But it is equally true that
around the world there are millions of people earnestly struggling with
the responsibilities and duties derived from traditional religion
while, at the same time, demanding the ever-increasing extension of
human rights to all.
Will this remain a clash of worlds, or
will it lead to a quiet and progressive symbiosis of the old and the
new? Will we be able to see ourselves in the future with many
identities, such as inheritors of wise traditions and, at the same
time, innovators of new traditions of coexistence? This will depend on
how we all decide to shape our minds and hearts and whether we are
ready to contain such a wealth of human legacies inside our souls. The
beginning of the process lies in learning and teaching and the humility
with which we pursue this great human odyssey.
contributor: Marc Gopin, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
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