Monday, September 17, 2001

Interestingly, while looking over my site statistics, I noticed that traffic on the site has been far heavier than usual for this month. Since September 1, for no apparent reason, pageviews have skyrocketed to over 10,000 but there is no evidence that there is any one site that is directing people here. That leads me to believe that either I was included in some magazine article or something, or I was featured in one of those email newsletters that people sometime subscribe to that give "sites of the day." I don't know what it is, to be honest, and no one has been nice enough to tell me.

Current Music: Noisy people in the lobby
Current Emotion: I'm hungry.

Sunday, September 16, 2001

Got back from church about an hour ago--I went this week to the First Assembly service (as usual). This week was a little different, as you might expect. For the first time in a while I actually went with other people--Justin, who lived on my hall last year, and one of his friends rode with me. It was nice to have someone familiar there. On top of that the message was derived from the scripture that President Bush used in his speech the night of the attacks. Immediately before the message they showed the tape of his speech following a PowerPoint sort of slide show of the events of the week... and when the pastor returned, he had changed from his coat and tie to a patriotic t-shirt, which of course had everyone on their feet applauding. The overwhelming sense that I got from everyone in the service was that "we will overcome..." and that is why we are proud of America.

Current Music: MSNBC
Current Emotion: Good

The Way I See It
by Ryan Eanes, Student Columnist
to appear in the 20 Sept 2001 issue of the Old Gold & Black

At this printing, it will have been just over a week since the World Trade Center towers were leveled to the ground and a section of the Pentagon was destroyed. Normally I use the space allotted to me to try and bring some levity to our often stress-filled lives, but this is one instance where such a response would be inappropriate and distasteful.

We have heard the President and his advisors and his Cabinet members. We have heard the news analysts, the university experts and the lead investigators. We have heard stories from survivors, from rescue workers and from those who witnessed the incidents. We have heard all of these things, and yet so many of us still cannot find the words to convey what it is that we are feeling.

The morning of the incident I had a 9:30 broadcast writing class, but was awoken nearly half an hour before my alarm ever went off. I heard running outside in the suite, and it sounded as if every television on the hall was on. “A plane hit the World Trade Center!” I heard someone outside say.

“How horrible,” I thought, disregarding it as probably nothing more than a freak accident. But then I turned on the television, and right before my eyes a second plane pummeled the building.

“This is no accident,” I thought, suddenly tasting bile and feeling the heavy sensation of horror in my gut.

Almost immediately I began to wonder if I directly knew anyone who could have been injured or killed in the attacks. Unlike so many of my grieving classmates and colleagues, I was able to say a prayer of “thanks” for the fact that my family and friends all seemed to be safe—or so I thought.

The night of the 11th I called someone who I thought could have been potentially hurt in the attack—Erin, a close friend from high school, and her family. Originally from Queens, another borough of New York City, I knew that they still had relatives and loved ones in the City. Fortunately everyone was safe and accounted for on their end.

Something that Erin’s mother said to me on the phone has stuck in my mind. “I know I don’t sound like a good Christian woman right now,” she said, her voice still shaking nearly twelve hours after the attacks, “but we need to go over to Afghanistan, find their president and murder him.”

According to an informal ABC News poll, something on the order of 80% of Americans surveyed seem to share her convictions. A friend of mine seemed to unknowingly confirm all of this when he said, “They don’t realize that if they mess with us again, there’s going to be a crater where Iraq and Afghanistan used to be.”

I must confess that I am now fully and utterly confused. On the one hand, punishment in some form is entirely appropriate, considering that the death toll (at my deadline) has not yet been determined and that hundreds are still in New York area hospitals. Our country must do something to respond, and I have full confidence that our President and Congress will do everything in their power to make certain that justice is served.

But on the other hand, I wonder if we have reduced ourselves to the same level as the terrorists who did this to our country when we embrace violence and weapons of mass destruction as appropriate forms of retaliation. Thousands of our civilians were killed… so does that mean that we, who claim to be more civilized, should kill thousands of their civilians? Assume that this does become the case, and that we bomb those countries responsible until nothing even remotely recognizable remains. Will the rest of the world cringe in horror when media shows Americans dancing in the streets rejoicing, just as we cringed in horror when our media showed us Palestinians rejoicing?

My parents came to the school that night in order to bring me my mail and some other items… that, and I think they just wanted reassurance that I was safe, and that our little corner of the globe was indeed still safe. I asked my father, who is a Baptist minister, why this happened. “To the people that did this,” he answered after a long pause, “we are the enemy.”

Most Americans, including myself, had no idea that our country was ever considered to be an “enemy” by anyone. For the most part we are peaceful and we work things out… we are, after all, the “world’s policeman.” But it seems that certain other countries want to see us ruined.

Everyone at Wake Forest is intelligent in some capacity—this apparently includes myself, but I do not have the knowledge or the brainpower to figure out why someone would do this to us. On our campus, in our city, in our state and in our country we pride ourselves on the fact that we are often able to work out our differences with words than causing ruin we would later regret with violence.

I certainly do not hate anyone, although this may seem otherwise. As a humor writer it is more or less my “beat” to poke fun at those situations which most of us are irritated or annoyed by. These attacks, however, go well beyond “irritating” or “annoying.” These acts of cowardice wound every American, whether or not you can feel it.

So it is with this column that I apologize for my apparent lack of sensitivity in last week’s issue of the Old Gold and Black. Certainly, when I submitted last week’s column on Monday afternoon, there was no indication that any event of this magnitude was to happen. It is with deepest sympathy and with utter shock and disbelief that I send the people of the United States my thoughts and my prayers following these hideous attacks.

To echo the President—God bless America.

I know it's late for me to be up on a Saturday night, especially with church in the morning--and I am going. Justin and I are doing that. Since we both go to the same church here in Winston it's nice to have someone to finally go with rather than sitting all alone, which is not fun. But anyway I took a three hour nap and got up at 10pm, so obviously I'm not quite ready for bed yet.

I tried to go to Wal-Mart about an hour ago to see if I could find a flag to hang in my window. Since I'm up on the 4th floor on a side of the building that everyone sees whenever they walk around the Quad, I thought it would be an appropriate thing to do. Not surprisingly, though, there are no flags at Wal-Mart. They were out. Harris Teeter didn't have any either. So I came back with just a milkshake from Cook Out. Not really what I wanted.

I think a lot of people have decided that, at this point, we have to both grieve and reflect on what happened on Tuesday but at the same time the best way to slap terrorism in the face is to get back to our normal lives. And I agree with that... if we completely halt everything then how can we ever recover sufficiently to prevent terrorism from happening again? The answer is that we cannot. So put your flags out and wear your red white and blue. To the families and friends of the victims--God loves you, the United States loves you, North Carolina loves you, Winston-Salem loves you, Wake Forest University loves you, and I love you. It is hard, I know, but justice will be served.

While I was at a Campus Crusade conference this weekend a question kept coming up. This question was, "Does this mean the end of the world is coming?" My response has several parts. But in a word, even though no one can predict when that will happen, my spirit and my gut is telling me "no," and I'll try and explain why. First: Consider all of those who live in Israel and Egypt and (basically) the whole of the Middle East. They live with disaster like this on a week-to-week (often day-by-day) basis. (Why else would Israel say "we must stand with the United States--we know what it is like?") Here in the USA, we've grown accustomed to our cushy, safe and sheltered lives, but in Jerusalem people live in constant fear... could that person walking down the sidewalk next to them be a walking suicide bomb? It is pompous for us to make the suggestion that, just because we are "the world superpower" that, if we are attacked, it MUST be the end of the world. How selfish are we? Have we come to the point that we should neglect all other tragedy in the world? Perhaps it seems cold of me to say, but it's true. People in Israel don't say "is it the end of the world?" every time a building is demolished. Logically it is unfair for us to be so arrogant to think that, as tragic as the events of the past week have been, WE are the indicator of the world's end. Second: Take a look at Matthew 24:6. It reads (emphasis added) "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." (NKJV) Seriously I had never noticed that last part until yesterday--and that's one of those subtle ways that God talks to you... by letting you discover things in his Word that you haven't seen before. My Bible also contains a commentary which adds a comment saying that "wars and rumors of wars characterize the whole of the present age (meaning ever since Jesus' resurrection), but will escalate toward the end." If you look at the big picture I'm not seeing a real "escalation." A better word to use would be "spottiness," since conflicts seem spotty and irregular in this day and age. Third: There are tons of prophecies from the Bible that haven't happened yet, and my primary example is the fact that the entire world has not yet heard the message of Christ. That must happen first. And that has not happened yet. Another--the temple has not been rebuilt in Jerusalem, and if that ever happens, it'll be a long LOOOOONG process because of all of the violence. I could go on, but it's much more interesting if you read the scripture yourself. I'm not claiming to be a Biblical scholar, but God gave me a brain (or at least most of one) for a reason, and he also gave me the gift of a discerning heart. This is something I feel convicted about... just some food for thought.

Today was beautiful outside. The temperature was in the 70s all day, it was breezy and sunny, and we drove all the way back from Greensboro with the car windows down. There's a hurricane that's moving away and no one (to my knowledge) was hurt by it. I think God has heard our prayers, America, and He's smiling on us.

Current Music: Bryan Duncan, "I'd Like To Thank You Jesus (For One Thing)"
Current Emotion: At peace

Saturday, September 15, 2001

"Negative body images abound at this university" by Ryan Eanes, Student Columnist
Read it here on the Old Gold & Black website

Friday, September 14, 2001

"God may show them mercy. We will not."
Senator John McCain, referring to those that attacked our country

Wednesday, September 12, 2001

Disbelief melts into anger and frustrated questions. I find myself nervous, a little jittery and almost a little scared even though the attacks on the Pentagon and WTC happened 12+ hours ago. Why did this happen? There are millions and millions of Americans, 99.999% of whom have no quarrel with whoever did this. Mayor Giuliani says that the casualties will be "more than we can bear," which certainly seems to be true. But why? Why? That's what I want to know. This is something that has hurt us all. Whoever did this has attacked our liberty. There was no war happening... there was no conflict going on... there was no evidence to point to this happening. In that sense it is unlike anything else that has ever happened, even unlike Pearl Harbor which this has been likened to. This is senseless and I implore anyone involved to stop. We are in the 21st century. You should be ashamed. We're past this.

Isn't it interesting? BBC says that Iraqi television calls the attacks "the fruit of American crimes against humanity." Honestly I wonder what these crimes are. The internet, as we all know, reaches everywhere in the world. I hope that everyone in the world has done what I have done and taken the news that you assimilate from not only your own country but from news bureaus around the world. The BBC, NBC as well as Scola and Univision have been invaluable. Take note if you are in another country, especially those that could be considered to be part of these attacks: BROADEN YOUR WORLD VIEW. Your government may control your media, and if that is the case, you will hear lies like the ones that Iraqi television seems to be perpetuating. Listen to what the BBC says. Listen to what NBC says. Listen to what CNN says. Listen to what other media sources like France's Le Monde and Russia's Pravda (see below) say... and then compare all of that data to what your media--your government--tells you. Who do you honestly think is telling the truth?

More links of interest:

• Le Monde, a French newspaper. Features "les infografies" (news graphics) which are actually quite interesting, even if you don't speak French. One features a diagram of the WTC attack and another features information on what happened in Washington.
• English version of the Russian newspaper Pravda. It's interesting to see how news changes overseas. According to the Pravda, earlier this morning "it looks like fire has been started in the Congress. The USA are left without communications, including Internet channels because retransmitters placed on high buildings fell out... [and] the USA were deprived of telephone communication."

I also learned that George, who was going home this morning to his grandmother's funeral, was diverted to Chicago. He's there all by himself. Please pray for George, that he not be scared or lonely, and that he find strength in his faith.

I have a feeling that we're all going to be jumpy for the next few days. Our "safety bubble" has disappeared, just like a soap bubble would pop. Gone. One day when I'm 75 years old and looking back on all of this I'll remember how I felt and where I was the moment it happened. That will be a memory that I will wish that I didn't have.

Current Music: The cicadas and crickets outside singing. Look at what we do to ourselves, and yet they are blissfully ignorant and amazingly peaceful. If we could only take a lesson from the bugs.
Current Emotion: Drained

Tuesday, September 11, 2001

Did it really take this? By now I'm sure that you have heard that there was an incredibly disturbing tragedy in New York involving the World Trade Center. In a few words, it's gone now. I've been glued to BBC America and Fox News Channel all day trying to keep up with everything that was happening, and I watched in horror and disbelief as the building literally disappeared before my eyes. Personally I'm still trying to evaluate all of this, but literally I was moved to tears moments ago when the entire assembly of Congress sang "God Bless America" following a briefing.

I'm not going to dwell on what's happened today, nor am I going to try and figure out why it happened. All I will say is that some good has come of this. Two things, actually... we have come together like never before in an amazing display of unity and community. On top of that we have grown closer to God because no one knows where else to find comfort. We've come too far in the past twelve hours to ever look back, and as horrible as it may sound at first, we are better for this happening.

I just talked to Nane on the phone, and she and her family are all fine. We can say "thank God" for that. Fortunately I don't directly know anyone harmed by the tragedy, and I guess that counts for something. Keep praying--PLEASE keep praying--for everyone who cannot claim the same.

Before I sign off I'll leave you with a few links that should be of use right now:

• BBC Online. News coverage from elsewhere in the world.
• Fox News. Fox News Channel website.
• CNN Online. Cable News Network.
• Donate to the American Red Cross. The American Red Cross is one of the heads of the disaster relief effort. In addition to blood they need your financial support. Donate online, by mail or by phone.

Current Music: Fox News Channel
Current Emotion: A bizarre mixture of sadness, queasiness and disbelief

Monday, September 10, 2001

Sometimes professors amaze you. Take my French class today, for example. While we were discussing different sorts of families (e.g., la famille traditionelle, la famille chaotique ou la famille folle-dingue), one member of the class commented on how "ma mere n'est pas tres intelligente" (in other words, he thinks his mother is dumb). He then went on to say that she was going to sit in on the class during Parents' Weekend, which isn't all that unusual. It turns out that this guy was from Long Island, and when Dr. Barron heard this, she launched into this uncanny impersonation of a New Yorker (a la The Nanny) saying things like "Mon dieu! Je bois la cafe!" It was hilarious and she had the entire class in stitches. Professors can sometimes surprise you. :)

What is going on here? I have had about five phonecalls in a row! I didn't realize that I was so popular. Ah well, wonders never cease, I guess.

Current Music: Diffusion (with Anne Robinson), "The Weakest Link"
Current Emotion: Busy

Four hours ain't bad! In just a few short moments the remake of The Desperately Seeking A Date! Game will be completed. And believe me, it is going to be HILARIOUS. I've nearly choked every time I've watched it. It's that funny. So what's next, you ask? Simple. A late night talk show starring yours truly and my cohost Jon Willingham tentatively entitled And Now For Something Completely Different... which will feature sketches, guests, and (yay!) banter! I can't wait. Scheduled to begin in two weeks!

Campus Crusade is starting to become what I originally dreamed it would one day become. Rather than me being by myself, there are six very capable, very gifted student leaders and more new students interested in taking on leadership roles. :) I'm excited. It can only get better, and it looks like it's going to.

Current Music: Production music ("Blue Steel")
Current Emotion: Freezing but happy