Will Sept. 11 have a lasting impact on us
or will it be "business as usual" for America
By John F. O'Kane, CFRE
Senior Vice President
Coxe Curry & Associates
Special to GwinnettForum.com

DEC. 18, 2001 -- Despite all the talk and ruminations, will the tragic effects of September 11 have a lasting impact on us? The Taliban are all but defeated. Some flags are beginning to come down. The holiday season is upon us. Will it soon be business as usual?

We have seen the lasting impact that the Great Depression left on our grandparents and parents. The lack of all but the basic necessities created a generation who became very frugal in their spending and in their lifestyle. A generation who could hardly waste a thing and who prompted us "to clean our plate" and "save our pennies." Living through the Depression had a lasting impact.

Much recent attention has focused on the life changing experience among the "Greatest Generation." The day after Pearl Harbor, children were scouring the neighborhoods for scrap metal and rubber. Women would soon leave their homes to rivet in the factories. Men, and some women, would wait in line to enlist and put themselves in harm's way. Everyone knew someone who did not come home. A fierce loyalty and quiet patriotism would forever shape this generation.

Then came September 11. A tragedy compared to and claimed to surpass Pearl Harbor in its shock and devastation. We stared repeatedly at images only thought possible on the screen or in pages of fiction. We came to love the "Big Apple" in ways we never thought possible. Police, fire and military personnel became our new heroes. But one of the most requested responses from our nation's leaders presented a curious contrast to the Depression and World War II. Instead of being asked to conserve, we were asked to consume. At the same time, we tried to consume we could not help but reexamine our priorities, our relationships and our vocations.

Americans opened their pocket books in unprecedented swiftness to raise over one billion dollars in five weeks. Seventy percent of our neighbors donated, more than ever via the Internet. There were some instances of individuals who could not pass up a good scam. There were non-profit organizations so overwhelmed that they questioned whether they could spend all the money in the way it was intended. But, seventy percent of Americans donate to charity each year. Scams and institutional abuses have occurred before. Will September 11 really have a lasting impact on our charitable intentions and our personal priorities?

I would like to suggest we accept and make these changes with a resolve similar to those made after the Depression and World War II:

1. to give away to charity 5% of our income and include at least one third world charity in the mix;

2. to volunteer with at least one project;

3. to spend one hour per week in quiet meditation or reflection about our priorities, our values and the use of our talents and

4. to reach out to one individual, family, friend or co-worker from whom we feel estranged.

We have the opportunity to respond to September 11 as more than a consumer of material goods, but will we accept the challenge or return to business as usual?

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