PENETRATE THE FEAR
I was driving north on Interstate 35 heading into St. Paul on a rainy, foggy Saturday afternoon. I had a jazz station playing soft, relaxing music. My head was full of good memories; a visit to my home state of Iowa, favorite family members and a delicious homemade lunch. Through the misting rain and fog I could see movement to my right on a small ridge along the interstate. As I pulled closer I saw four camouflaged figures and a U. S. Army jeep with a large mounted telescope. One man was sighting the scope on a distant horizon to the west. The other soldiers stood to the side. The scene flashed by in a blink. I had never seen a military vehicle on any stretch of road, except for convoys of National Guard vehicles headed for a week of training. But this scene was different. This was one vehicle in a cornfield along an interstate highway. The soldiers were doing a maneuver, sighting a target in the distance. This looked like war. I turned down the radio and began watching for other signs of combat. Ten miles down the road I saw a small convoy, five or six military vehicles carrying ten or fifteen soldiers. Then my contact with the military ended. I drove the rest of the way into St. Paul without incident. I hunkered down in my home for the rest of the evening. It reminded me of a letter I received from my daughter when she was living in France during the Gulf War. She had been sitting at an outdoor cafe drinking her morning coffee and reading the newspaper. She heard a rumbling sound, turned her eyes toward the street and saw a huge military tank gnarling through her neighborhood. Those kinds of incidents tend to unsettle people. We do not appreciate the sight of military vehicles in odd places. Tanks ought to be on a fighting field. Further, if soldiers want to focus their scope on a target, it ought to be one they can blast. Is it true that we are all getting a little too jittery about this terrorist situation? You will remember that just after the attacks on the World Trade Center, government officials said we were fighting a faceless enemy. The terrorists had no government, no air bases, no visible training camps. They could strike anywhere, at any time, with any kind of weapon. But the truth is, we do know who the enemy is. Their photos have been in our newspapers. Their training camps have been isolated and bombed. Enemy leaders have been identified and hunted like dogs. We know the enemy and we are now in diligent pursuit. Every evening on television the commentators seize on stories that frighten us. Fear is now television's most valued commodity. If you aren't sleeping well, if nervousness has become a problem, if you're answering loved ones with clipped phrases, if you seem provoked or edgy, you have to find a way to ease the strain. Serenity is attainable even when outside forces threaten us. You must reach deep inside your religion and find a peaceful spot for your troubled soul. When did we last fall silent and meditate upon the blessings of our existence? How long has it been since we sat for ten minutes and thanked our god for the gifts of life? When did we last turn to our spirit and ask for peace?
Clark D. Morphew
Posted 10-17-01