"It is my conviction that nothing enduring can be built on violence." - Mahatma Gandhi "We lose our freedoms at the altar of fear." - Kahlil Gibran
During the horror that was September 11, 2001, the city
cordoned off Lower Manhattan at 14th Street. The closest anyone could get to
the World Trade Center site was Union Square Park, unless you lived
downtown. It was a place to pray for
lost friends and family, a 24/7 surrogate mourning site. When President Bush visited the park and
mourners shouted out: "No War In My Name," he abruptly ended his
speech. Millions were drawn to this
Peace Site to mourn, nourish & heal together as the people’s 9/11
Memorial. Art, music, ritual, sacred
space, prayers created and shared, filling the 3 block square park. Even amid
NY sirens, street music, traffic, flashing store signs around the park, a young
girl, said: "It's so peaceful here."
So many mourners praying together in peace: “Love thy poor, immigrant,
Jewish, addicted, gay, Muslim, old, atheist neighbor,” and “Islam is not the enemy”
and “No war in My Name”. Now every
politician claims a piece of it and it’s called Patriot’s Day by those who
waged war. Each year the need to share
these messages increases.
