Do You Feel Lucky?

Humility causes me to modify my belief in the strength of our creative spirits to see us through the rough parts of aging.  I have to admit that the parents, who spoke to their son as he was hurtled like a firey bomb into the second World Trade Center, have a right to depression and a sad old age.  How one faces the loss of a grown son, daughter-in-law and grandchild so tragically, and still manage to go on, leaves me silent.

9/11 has had many editorials, essays and speeches spoken and written today, and that is as it should be.  Ten years ago today was the day when the United States of America had to grow up.  I'm not sure that these ten years have proved that we've done such a good job of that, but here we are, and we have two choices:  give up and give in, or go forward. 

FDR was right; the thing we have most to fear is fear.  Fear and anger have caused us to spend trillions of dollars in an effort to feel safe, and, yes, to get revenge--to act in ways that we may regret in an effort to even a score.  These emotions have caused us to squander not only our financial future, our cultural heritage, and our wise judgement, but  fear now convinces our businesses, banks and individuals to hold tightly to their cash in fear that even harder times are ahead. 

Just as we say goodbye to our loved ones who have gone before us, it is time to praise, thank and say a fond farewell to those who gave their lives on 9/11.  Instead of the fear and anger generated by this sad, sad day we must replace those emotions with solid good sense and a positive attitude.  Basic economics tells us that demand is the engine that powers an economy and gets it moving.   I don't know how we will be able to generate enough energy and enthusiasm to begin new businesses and invest in markets that will make it a necessary for business to hire and train new workers, but we must.  It won't be the first time we've done something impossible. 

History is full of hard times and tragic events. Pearl Harbor was a tragic event much like the World Trade Center disaster, and it followed a more severe depression that we've had of late.  Yet we sold war bonds and paid for WWII and the rebuilding of Europe and carried ourselves into a healthy post war period.  Consider too, those who lived in Dresden, Germany must have felt much like New Yorkers, only more so, after our bombs almost totally destroyed that city in WWII.  Now, however, Germany has become one of the more solid economies in Europe.

Mike Littwin, columnist for the "Denver Post", wrote today, "I go to see an outdoor movie at Brayant Park, across from the famous New York Public Library on 42nd Street.  The movie is "Dirty Harry." and the picnicking crowd of maybe a couple of thousand chant together, 'You've to to ask yourself one question:  Do I feel lucky?  Well, do ya, punk?'