Talk to Each Other First and Then to God

Rating: 10/10 (15 April 2007)

I don't know how anyone could have watched this in a movie theater. I knew I couldn't so I waited until it was on cable. Even now, I don't know why I watched it except to see if there were more details. As if I could have prevented it or could learn something to prevent it from happening again. I sobbed through it (I knew I would, which is the reason I didn't want to watch it in the theater).
As I think someone else noted, the most powerful thing to me was seeing people praying...some to Allah, some to Jesus Christ and (though I didn't hear it) to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jesus said "If you know that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift on the altar and go be reconciled to your brother, then come back and offer your gift to God." I couldn't help but think that if we only tried that, to talk to each other about our hurts and disagreements first, instead of our own flavor-of-the-week deity who we only talk to in our own context and understanding, as if talking to ourselves, maybe we could head off tragedies like this before they happened. Jewish, Christian, Moslem. If you read the Bible you realize we're all cousins in a way. All related to Abraham in some way. Yet how we have shamed his name and the name of whatever God you choose to pray to with our refusal to accept each other in our humanity and love each other to life rather than hating each other to death.
Even some of the comments here blame politicians, etc. But that's not the answer. Talking won't always help. It's interesting that I watched "The Great Dictator" today, too. It's the comedy Charlie Chaplin made showing the madness of Nazi Germany and Hitler specifically. Sadly his warnings in 1940 came too late. But even warnings won't always help.
Yet we can try. And maybe if we can't get through to madmen we can get through to those who, like the folks on United 93, took a stand against destruction. But we need to talk to each other for that to happen. Every phone call I heard (in this film and in other documentaries) that was made from that plane was to a family member to pass on thoughts of love. Maybe we should all do that, and while we're doing it, talk to our "enemies" as well. And pray for them. But only after we've talked to them and tried to come to an understanding of who they are and how we can live together in a beautiful world rather than hating each other into a hellish one.
"Bless those that curse you. Pray for those who despitefully use you...Love one another."