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Who's
Got it and Who Doesn't?
November
21, 2001
by Rick Kropp
Bravery and courage have seldom, if ever, been part of my
life. Avoiding anything that could cause me physical harm
or pain has always been my modus operandi. Being a hero has
never been my bag. I don't face fear well. Being a coward
is more like it.
But authentic acts of bravery and courage by others have
always thrilled and profoundly impacted me to my soul, whether
they be in war or everyday life, whether they are done by
persons whose job it is to be brave and courageous or by just
regular ordinary folks.
On September 11th I had the privilege of witnessing on TV
acts true bravery and courage that I will live with me forever.
Those were the acts of the firefighters, cops, medical emergency
and other rescue personnel caught under and in the burning
collapse of the WTC towers.
For the rest of my life, I will get choked up when I think
about the kind of bravery and courage it took for those firefighters
and others to go into and underneath the towers as they burned
and collapsed, just in order to save other people. I'll always
think about firefighters, especially FDNY, as authentic real
life heroes to honor and admire.
And what about the motivation of the New York firefighters
and others on September 11th? Why did they so gallantly rush
into those burning towers about ready to collapse?
Sure they were just doing their jobs and what was expected
of them. And as public workers they were probably not getting
paid a lot. Without a doubt, they have a professional code
of honor, a brotherhood and sisterhood dedicated to saving
lives. They went into those burning towers because of their
families and friends. It was like saving them.
Again, it was because others expected it of them. They gave
themselves unselfishly and without thoughts of rewards, either
here on earth or in heaven. They did it because saving lives
was their job. It was always, always about others. It was
never, ever about themselves and what they would gain out
of it. It was simply about being brave and courageous because
other people relied on them.
In comparison and contrast, a few media pundits have mentioned
about the so-called "bravery and courage" of the terrorists
who guided and crashed the planes into the WTC towers, and
the Pentagon and on the ground in Pennsylvania. Did these
terrorists have authentic "bravery and courage" in their suicide
missions? Was their "bravery and courage" and motivation even
remotely similar to that displayed by the firefighters and
other rescuers on September 11th.
The terrorist's murderous acts were initiated and guided
by their fanatical belief that God or Allah would reward them
and their families with a secure and prominent place in heaven
if they went out and killed a large number of unholy infidels
in spectacular, theatrical fashion. But not until they sinfully
enjoyed themselves drinking at a strip club. A weakness of
the flesh I suppose.
This motivation is the creed of extreme Islamic fundamentalism
that drove the terrorists on their suicide missions. A creed
based on getting instant rewards from God in heaven with their
immediate self-gratification and total ego satisfaction. The
terrorist's motivation was narcissistic and pure selfishness,
not about others or about honor.
These individuals chose not to live and "suffer" any further
in an unholy, decadent world created by the West, with America's
immoral cultural and spiritual influence, and its economic
and political domination of less fortunate nations. They wanted
out, get a ticket to heaven and be rewarded everlasting comfort
and joy. In other words, it was purely a selfish ego trip.
That's what I would call what they did on September 11th.
I would never, ever call it courage and bravery.
And in the end, it will never, ever compare to the acts and
motivation of the New York firefighters and others on September
11th. That comparison would be a sacrilege and a crime.
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