This article has been chosen as a Making Sense of These Times
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This is a special piece – a courageous and chilling voice that must be heard. Camilo Belli is "a memorable former student from 5-6 years ago" of a friend of mine who teaches high school at Crossroads, a very fine school in Los Angeles. "Growing up in Managua, Nicaragua in the 1980's, I was terrified by the American sponsored intervention in my country...when I sit with you in the lecture halls of Columbia University, you are probably unaware of the fact that I celebrated when American pilots were shot down over Iraq during the Gulf War...if this country remains unwilling to make sacrifices and to share its tremendous wealth with the rest of the world, I am afraid that the attacks of September 11 are the first of many. Because too many people have too little to lose."
-Suzanne-

September 16, 2001

Painful Roots
Camilo Belli

How will the United States react to the attacks that shook the nation on September 11, 2001? This question is of extreme importance to world stability. First, I want to make clear that I condemn attacks of violence like the ones that shattered the lives of thousands of people Tuesday morning. These acts only serve to fuel hatred and fear. As we come to terms with the fragility of life, however, it is important that we avoid succumbing to understandable feelings of anger. If we have learned anything from history, it is that violence only results in more violence. Anger only fuels more anger. During these trying times, if anything good is to emerge from this tragedy, we must embrace our common humanity.

Although Americans have never experienced a tragedy of this magnitude, many parts of the world endure them almost daily. In the Middle East and Africa, for example, military conflicts have devastated the lives of millions of people over the last decade, leaving those who remain impoverished and desperate for relief. As a result of these conflicts, everyday, millions of mothers around the world must endure losing their children to gunfire or hunger. As shocking as yesterday's events were, I am afraid that they are nothing new. Now, however, mothers are crying here as well. What appeared to be the pain of some is now the pain of all. Still, we cannot help but ask, why?

As I try to answer this question, I cannot help but remember the anger I felt as a child. Growing up in Managua, Nicaragua in the 1980's, I was terrified by the American sponsored intervention in my country. When I played with toy guns, I aimed them at the sky and imagined American soldiers falling to their deaths from ! helicopters. At the age of twelve, when I saw the dome of the Capital building for the first time, I thought about destroying it. Was I an evil kid, somehow possessed by an irrational desire to kill? If I were not one of you now, you might easily jump to such a conclusion. Nevertheless, when I sit with you in the lecture halls of Columbia University, you are probably unaware of the fact that I celebrated when American pilots were shot down over Iraq during the Gulf War. My experience, unfortunately, is not unique. It is also far less dramatic than the violence endured by countless other children.

I strongly believe that my views were shaped by circumstance. Would you be angry if armed groups financed by the most powerful nation in the world attacked your country? Would you be angry if you saw your sisters cry uncontrollably over the coffins of their dead friends, killed after they drove their car over a land mine paid for by the United States? Would you be angry if somebody bombed your country's power plants, causing power outages for hours or days at a time? After witnessing the reaction of many Americans over the attacks on New York and Washington, I can safely say that many of you would feel anger, frustration, and fear. If your country were attacked for ten consecutive years, I am sure that many of you would have no qualms with resorting to violence.

Even if it is difficult, when Americans reflect on what occurred, they must struggle to understand why any group of people would feel compelled to do what was done. At this juncture, we must remember our common humanity. While many will point the finger at Islamic fundamentalists and blame the incident on differences over religion, accepting this argument will ultimately lead to more vio! lence. If this were a religious or cultural war, moreover, how could so many people with so many different religious beliefs and cultural backgrounds coexist within the United States? In the end, these attacks are about much more.

The targets speak for themselves. What do the World Trade Center and the Pentagon symbolize? Think about it. What do they symbolize to you? I can think of two words: American dominance. The nerve center of American military might, the Pentagon is the largest building in the world. It is the headquarters of the largest and the costliest military ever known to man. The importance of the World Trade Center is hardly questionable. Rising over the financial capital of the world, these buildings housed some of the most important and most powerful finance firms on the globe. The tallest in the world until the mid-nineteen nineties, the World Trade Center towers were a symbol of prosperity. They defied gravity and they left every one of us in awe.

Sadly, as much as these structures are a symbol of power for Americans, they are also a symbol of powerlessness for countries that are still struggling to meet the basic needs of their citizens. When the United States refuses to sign the Kyoto treaty or refuses to attend the first conference on race reconciliation, these structures reaffirm the United States' position as the bully on the world stage. As long as the United States is economically prosperous, a great majority of Americans seem to care very little about what happens to the rest of the world. While American companies enjoy astronomical profits, the rest of the world is told to wait. Progress, after all, takes time. Meanwhile, American policy makers celebrate what they call the fastest period of growth in the history of the United States. If progress takes time, time is standing still for more than 3 billion human beings, who according to the World Bank make less than a dollar a day. It is standing still for thousands of children who die of curable diseases each year. Despite this awful reality, a great majority of Americans continue to fervently celebrate their prosperity. Just as the pictures of Palestinians celebrating the collapse of the World Trade Center angered many Americans, the continuous lack of empathy and concern in the United States angers many others. Can we blame them? Can we blame ourselves for our anger?

Many of the citizens of this nation are remarkable people. Despite the anger I fostered as a child, I have learned to love many of them. I have learned to admire the good qualities of this nation. I did not celebrate on Tuesday and I am extremely worried today. Unfortunately, if this country remains unwilling to make sacrifices and to share its tremendous wealth with the rest of the world, I am afraid that the attacks of September 11 are the first of many. Because too many people have too little to lose.

If retaliation will cause more violence, what are we willing to do to stop it? If we abhor violence, are we really prepared to change?

Camilo Belli (camilobelli@hotmail.com)


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