Articles for Healthcare Practitioners

The tragedy of September 11, 2001, the bioterrorism that followed, and other on-going terrorist threats have plunged some of us deeper into the nightmare of anxiety, fear and hopelessness. Others, although sorely tested beyond reason, continue to live in the dream of what the human spirit is capable of.

When asked how she was able to cope with losing her husband, 32-year-old Lisa Beamer, mother of two, pregnant with her third child, and wife of United Flight 93 hero, Todd Beamer, replied:

"I have so many things I will tell my children about Todd: his character, his faith, his love for his family and friends, his integrity. I have a perspective on the whole thing that will continue to be with me. Life is bigger than what we see right here and Todd knew that, and that’s what enabled him to act rationally and calmly. Todd knew that whatever was going to happen, he was going to end up in heaven. I know the same holds true for me, and I’m going to see him again."

Todd’s last actions epitomized the meaning of life and the power of the human spirit by so very poignantly reminding us that living life is all about love. His said the Lord’s Prayer, he sent a message to his wife and children telling them he loved them, and finally, loving life as he did, he sacrificed his own life so others could live.

In the face of unimaginable stress, Todd and Lisa Beamer exemplify the kind of love, optimism, courage, inner safety, meaning and faith that our human spirits are capable of.

Seeing Miracles

God did not create terrorism or the cowardly acts behind the atrocities of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the spread of Anthrax – people did. Now, more than ever, we need to be aware of our higher selves, that part of us that is connected to the Divine. Anxiety and fear come from not being aware of that focusing on what we don’t want to happen in our lives. A sense of meaning and inner peace can come from focusing on the vision of what we do want to create for ourselves and our world.

Take time to cut through the bombardment of negative news and give, at least, equal attention to the miracles and potential miracles that have occurred and can occur out of these tragedies.

Allow yourself to be inspired and uplifted by remembering:

• The miracle of heroism – fireman, policeman, rescue workers, plane passengers and ordinary citizens risked their lives to save others.
• The miracle of survival – 24,000 people worked in and visited the World Trade Center on a daily basis, at least 19,000 lived. Thousands more lived and worked near by.
• The miracle of how the New York buildings fell – rather than toppling over and creating a domino effect, the buildings fell largely in their own footprints allowing thousands of others who lived, worked and went to school there to survive.
• The miracle of the Pentagon renovations – recent renovations prevented hundreds more people from occupying the destroyed office space.
• The miracle of circumstances – perhaps thousands more people survived because they changed their plans, overslept, took their children to school, had doctor’s appointments, got fired from their jobs or turned down job offers that would have put them in harm’s way.
• The miracle of service – hundreds of volunteers from all over the country put their own lives on hold and raced to Ground Zero in order to help.
• The miracle of giving – millions of people donated over a billion dollars to help their fellow Americans. Thousands more waited for hours to donate blood.
• The miracle of connection – we reached out and shared our grief with family, friends and even strangers to recognize a deeper connection with our fellow citizens. We experienced the depth of our compassion for those who lost their own lives and those who lost loved ones. We gathered across the country to worship together in the spirit of religious freedom and tolerance. We rekindled relationships with people we had lost touch with. We put aside political differences to mourn together.
• The miracle of treatable, unstable viruses – although thousands of people may have been exposed to Anthrax as of this writing, the vast majority did not get sick and those that did will be successfully treated.

Now allow yourself to vision the potential miracles that are possible:

• The miracle of cooperation – an international coalition of nations cooperating to end terrorism and promote world peace. Out of this miracle, so many others are possible:
• The miracle of religious, racial and cultural tolerance.
• The miracle of an end to world poverty, hunger and homelessness.
• The miracle of an end to infectious diseases.
• The miracle of an end to illiteracy.

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