On Sept 11, thoughts from Afghanistan

Here’s a note from a friend of mine who’s working in Afghanistan.

Today marks 9 years since volunteering at ground zero beside thousands of other New Yorkers who gathered together because they wanted to help each other in a time of need. The smell and the ash and the sounds are still vivid memories. And the overwhelming response is still an inspiration.

It’s no small coincidence that I presently find myself in Kandahar, Afghanistan. We are not here for revenge or for hate. We are here in defense of the liberties upon which our nation of immigrants was founded. My ancestors from Greece and Ireland came to New York on vessels many years ago and contributed to our patchwork of ethnicities, religions, and cultures. This has always been our nation’s strength. Today, it seems that strength is in jeopardy again. This time not from a foreign threat, but one from within. Dismayingly, this threat rears its ugly head every generation with discrimination of the latest seeming newcomer to the block. But fortunately, if history is an indicator, we’ll pass through this latest cloud of ignorance. Then again, we’ll also likely pass into another. I’m hopeful though, that one day we’ll heed the lessons of our past.

Personally, I’ve spent the last 21 months in Kandahar because I believe that I owe something to many people whom I’ve never met. It was not my merit which gave me many advantages in this world of inequality. After all, being born male when there is bigotry, white when there is racism, and growing up in a relatively wealthy part of the world when billions are in poverty, these are all things that were outside of my control, not to mention things which are not fair to begin with. So I believe that a little sacrifice and risk on my part to contribute to a more equitable distribution of opportunity seems like simply the right thing to do.

That people in my home country are meanwhile debating the principles of freedom and opportunity underlying these beliefs is deeply unsettling. I certainly respect their right to hold their own opinions, but they do not have the right to restrict the freedom of their neighbors to practice their religion where they wish. I reject the argument of those who believe that a mosque should not be built near ground zero. In fact, I think that there could be no more righteous response to the injustice of that day than such a demonstration of the indefeatability  of those fundamental liberties that so many have died for.

I am not a soldier of war. I am a soldier of love. And as I watch kites flying over the birthplace of the Taliban this morning, I know why I am here: love defeats hate. And New Yorkers should not let the hatred of a few extremists diminish their principles. If you need a reminder, go down to South Street and look at the Statue of Liberty. She’s raising the torch in love for everyone, not just for you or me.