September 21, 2001

Dear Plenty Friends,

After the horrors of September 11, we have heard one mantra repeated over and over—"Nothing will ever be the same again." We can only hope that this is true, if it means that the world will be better, that people will be more tolerant and understanding, that we will care about each other more every hour of every day and that, on a grand scale, we begin to dismantle the war machine, and mobilize the only effective force in combating evil, our love for each other. Like most, we at Plenty have been moved to tears by the heroism and courage and unfathomable sadness and grief and inexhaustible compassion on display in the aftermath of this great tragedy. If we want to honor these momentous acts of selflessness, and give them their fullest value, we will let them be our primary answer to terrorism. We will turn our resources toward those who are grieving and help them rebuild their lives. We will turn to each other and remind ourselves who we are and why we are here. We will tell our political leaders not to seek vengeance and shed more blood in our name. We are each other and we are part of God. We are One. If we really understand that, then we can understand how to defeat terrorism and how to transform evil into good.

That doesn’t mean we let known terrorists run free, and let’s put some heavy duty doors on those cockpits, but these are just some of the obvious practical considerations, not articles of war.

The U.S. government has historically supported terrorism and occasionally engaged in terrorism when it suited political objectives or in moments of temporary insanity. It is disingenuous to talk of a war of good against evil. The evil is not only "over there" somewhere. It is right here as well. Evil is a human affliction that knows no borders or limits, and one thing is for sure, evil thrives on hatred and revenge. It wilts on love.

These acts are so horrible to contemplate and so outrageous to the world community, that they have created an opportunity for humankind, at this critical moment in our evolution, to make a quantum leap from patterns of self-destruction that have plagued our species as far back as recorded history. In the rush to judgement and the political stampede for retaliation, it would seem that such a high flung idea would be trampled under the boots of the war party, but I am seeing signs of hope, even in the corridors of government (like the representative from California, a voice of one in the entire US House of Representatives who voted against a blank check for violent retaliation), but especially from ordinary people who feel compelled to stand up and speak out. Here is just one example from recent letters to the NY Times: My brother was on the 27th floor of 1 World Trade Center when the first plane hit. Although he could have gotten out of the building, he chose instead to stay with his friend, a quadriplegic who could not get out. It is in my brother's name and mine that I pray that we, this country that has been so deeply hurt, not do something that will unleash forces we will not have the power to call back.

We are hearing similar statements from the families of other victims. It is their voices we should be heeding and the voice in our hearts that is telling us what we should be doing and must do if we care about our world and a future for our children’s children.

As far as Plenty is concerned, we can only redouble our efforts to build partnerships and friendships with people everywhere and use your kind support to help make lasting differences for families and communities who are asking for our assistance. That’s our job and we’re grateful to do it. We appreciate you more than ever.