OPINION:
Though the fate of freedom is everlasting, it has been relentlessly tested over the past 24 years. Since Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. has experienced a breakdown of national security and endured continued attacks on civil society.
At the core of this civilizational instability rests the true plague that has served as the catalyst of our seemingly inexplicable woes. It is worse than any attack, pandemic or crime. America’s central problem is an epidemic of the nomadic soul. As the meaning of our lives is robbed from us by the technological tyranny of artificial intelligence, our souls begin to wander without the anchor of God, family and country, which tether us to that which provides truth.
As someone who has lived in Washington and Illinois in the past three years, I know a thing or two about the nomadic life. I have seen the troubles that infect the heart of our nation and welcome the presence of the National Guard. I salute their noble service.
However, if this American “experiment” is to survive without the support of these temporary measures, we must rediscover that most noble elixir of life for ourselves. There is no human force that can protect innocent people from evil in the war for hearts and minds unless the subjects of this onslaught find purpose through resilience.
On this anniversary of 9/11, I call on my fellow Americans to reject an identity of self-degradation and hopelessness in all their often alluring and hypnotic manifestations. The road of nihilism is a real temptation in a world of darkness, but I call on my friends and neighbors to embrace the complexity of life’s grandeur and splendid light as a path to higher ground.
If we are to honor the lives of the 9/11 victims and locate their souls in the vast spiritual landscape that is our national history, we must value our own lives and live every day with vigor. Yes, it is acceptable to roam in search of answers, but let us not forsake our republic by silencing our internal voices, which serve as the trumpet and compass of this most unique land.
HENRY WILSON
Barrington, Illinois
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