In these times of multiple terror attacks, I am reminded of how I felt after the 9/11 attacks. I felt the same emotions as most Americans—fear, anger, horror, etc. The thing I felt above all else, though, was bewilderment.
Just weeks before 9/11, I had been on an Alaskan cruise with countless others from all parts of the world. I shared a table with a couple from Germany one morning and held the elevator for a Japanese family the next. I was traveling with my mom and two aunts. Down the hall was my cousin’s father-in-law and his brother who needed a wheelchair.
One evening a storm came up. The waves (20-25 feet high) exploded against the ship as we rocked back and forth. The winds blew close to 70 miles an hour, and we were warned to stay inside. My aunts were too sick to attempt to eat, but my mother and I slowly made our way to the dining room. We chatted and joked with people on the way. One woman (who happened to be blind) said, “We’re all in the same boat.” I answered, “Literally,” and everyone chuckled. It was nervous laughter, but it lightened the mood.
We survived, of course, or you wouldn’t be reading this now, but the experience profoundly affected me. I honestly thought I might die that night. In the days that followed, I pictured the ship being tossed around with all of us in it. It occurred to me that if we had all died, it wouldn’t have mattered what country we were from, what language we spoke, how old we were, or if we had disabilities. We were all in the same boat. We all came from the same place—God, and if we died, we were all going to have equal opportunity to get to Heaven. It wouldn’t have even mattered what religion we were or if we had religion. I believe that Jesus gives us one final chance to follow Him when we die, and that God loves us all equally despite ourselves.
From the picture of the ship, I imagined the earth in space. To me, it was no different, really. The earth is the ship, and we are all on it. We face many storms—both literally and figuratively, but we are all God’s children. In the end, what matters most is how did we treat each other while we shared the cruise ship? And, of course, do we choose Christ?
That is why 9/11 and all of the attacks that have followed continue to sadden and bewilder me. The hatred the attackers feel for people must be ingrained deeply, yet some of them must honestly believe they are doing God’s will. How to stop that, I don’t know, but it is important that we all have respect for the dignity others. We have to show love and compassion to each other. After all, we are all in the same boat.