Making the right decision

I will not go to war. I cannot kill anyone, and I don't wish to try. That has been my only definite response to the possibility of war. But no one seems to know what is right when it comes to our country's reaction to the attacks. \nSome think we should bomb Afghanistan, killing Osama bin Laden and anyone else who happens to be there. Others believe we should try to better understand why the terrorists did what they did and try to then work out our differences peacefully. \nI recently attended an hour-long open discussion between students and faculty members. Many ideas were exchanged, and if any conclusion was reached, it was that the attack on Sept. 11 was different from any other in American history. Thus no precedent exists when it comes to solving it. \nYet President George W. Bush seems oddly confident. Bush seemed to have everything figured out: "The only way to defeat terrorism as a threat to our way of life is to stop it, eliminate it and destroy it where it grows." \nIt seems as if the president and his administration are the only people in the country who are not confused. We are chasing an enemy we cannot find or see. This affects the world, but the people making that decision seem more concerned with keeping their jobs than doing their jobs. The government seems to think that making a quick decision is better than making a good one.\nBush is faced with a problem that will drastically alter the world. But I would rather have a president who looks in the camera and admits he is just as confused as the rest of us than one who assumes that I want immediate action. Granted, I did vote for Al Gore, but I don't think he would have acted any differently.\nThe feel on campus has shifted from overtly political to overtly patriotic. The country was nearly split during the election, but we all must live with the decision President Bush makes. I decided last November that even if Bush won, I would still make my own decisions concerning my actions. For two weeks, the country has banded together like never before. But what will happen in a year or so, when the flags are put away? How long can we keep up this barrage of patriotism before we again see ourselves as Democrats and Republicans? \nThe defining moment of these attacks will be the day when the excessive patriotism ends. It is then that every American will make his or her own decision to continue caring for others. On that day, we will know whether 6,000 some lives were lost in vain. We have a chance to change the world, and we don't need any suit on television to do it for us. I am challenging myself to make the right decision, and I challenge all of you as well. This is our time to make a difference. I hope we can.