"The symbolism of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks [was] obvious. Unfortunately, what lies under the symbolism [has been] too easily ignored. We are Rich. We have Military Power. We are the Leading Empire.

"Like all empires, we are resented. A certain amount of resentment, jealousy perhaps, is understandable. It seems, however, that there is an extraordinary hatred of us -- which must cause us to ask, 'Why?' And when we do, we are forced to answer when our patience for long and complex responses is shorter than before the [Sept. 11] attacks.

"Quick and simple responses leave little room for the teachings of such moral philosophers as Jesus, Gandhi and Martin Luther King. But if we don't dedicate our lives to understanding the fullness of reality, there will be more suffering. Not all of reality is ever at the surface, of course. Sometimes none of it is. Then it is difficult to be steadfast in our effort to get at the truth of our problem. But if we don't, then the temptation to surrender to our primal instincts will win. Patience is [thus] a primary virtue.

"What are the realities? Well, we know that if we were to shrink the population of the earth to a village of 100 people, only five of them would be Americans, but they would use many times their share of the village's wealth. We know that in the next 50 years the world is expected to add as many people as the population of 50 years ago. How long under these conditions can the present global inequities stand? Even if the perpetrators of the [Sept. 11] attack are hunted down and wiped out, how long will it be before other desperate and marginalized people's anger and hatred rises to lethal levels? Terrorists are made, not born. As long as we regard the resources of the world as ours at a minimal cost, there will be children born who, when adults, will willingly lay down their lives to bring us down in the name of social and economic justice.

"If our imagination is limited simply to stomping out terrorists without examining how terrorists are made, we will experience a loss of liberty unequaled in U.S. history. Dedicating our lives to reality forces us to acknowledge that we have a choice: either accept the burden of defending the supply lines of a consumptive culture that is dependent on depletable sources, or begin the long journey toward decentralized, more local, more sustainable economies. If we opt to maintain the supply lines that feed our appetites, then we must be prepared to admit that we are willing to trade for it our freedom."

-- An excerpt of Wes Jackson's article
"From the Margin," which appeared in
Orion Magazine in 2001