Hope can reduces psychological shadow
已有 341 次阅读 2012-05-18 14:26Every generation has its defining moment, an event so extraordinary that
people will forever remember exactly what they were doing at the moment it
happened. For American college students, the morning of September 11, 2001 was
such a moment.
It was a bright, clear Tuesday morning in Lawrence, early in
the fall semester at the school where I teach, the University of Kansas. My
journalism students came to their 8:30 classes clutching radios for news about
the airliner that had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City.
Even though Kansas is in the central United States, many university students
have family members and friends in New York and Washington. "Are they safe?" was
the first question: as the towers crumbled, it became clear that thousands had
died. Suddenly no one felt safe.
American universities quickly organized a
support network for their foreign students. At the University of Kansas any
student who felt unsafe or threatened could stay in the home of a Lawrence
resident. Terrorists could topple American buildings, the implication was, but
they could not shake the American spirit of tolerance, mutual respect and
neighborliness.
In the days that followed, college students did not wait to
ask "What can we do?" -- they just did it. Many helped organize fund drives.
Some gave blood, in fact so much that the blood banks were temporarily
oversupplied. Several drove to New York City to help where they could. Everyone
pulled together to help our nation get through the ordeal.
The morning of
September 11 will live in students’ memories as "9-11" . The reality had dawned
that life can end suddenly on a beautiful day. But Americans live in hope, not
in fear. The ball mill lesson
students drew from these events was not how dangerous the world is, but how
peaceful nations of the world join together to help each other in times of need.
The 9-11 tragedy will forever be this generation’s defining moment. American
students now understand that terrorist attacks can take place anytime, anywhere.
But just as tragedy can happen, so can peace, hope and kindness, whether shared
by good people or by great nations.
上一篇: New sand maker accelerated by domestic projects 下一篇: The style of American college life
发表评论 评论 (0 个评论)