the.world.is.flat-第98部分

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masters　of　our　imaginations；　not　the　prisoners。　I　had　a　friend　in　Beirut　who　used　
to　joke　that　every　time　she　flew　on　an　airplane　she　packed　a　bomb　in　her　suitcase；　
because　the　odds　of　two　people　car

rying　a　bomb　on　the　same　plane　were　so　much　higher。　Do　whatever　it　takes；　but　get　
out　the　door。　
Apropos　of　that；　let　me　share　the　9/11　story　that　touched　me　most　from　the　New　York　
Times　series　〃Portraits　of　Grief；〃　the　little　biographies　of　those　who　were　killed。　
It　was　the　story　of　Candace　Lee　Williams；　the　twenty…year…old　business　student　at　
Northeastern　University；　who　had　worked　from　January　to　June　of　2001　as　a　work…study　
intern　at　the　Merrill　Lynch　office　on　the　fourteenth　floor　of　1　World　Trade　Center。　
Both　Candace's　mother　and　colleagues　described　her　to　The　New　York　Times　as　a　young　
woman　full　of　energy　and　ambition；　who　loved　her　internship。　Indeed；　Candace's　
colleagues　at　Merrill　Lynch　liked　her　so　much　they　took　her　to　dinner　on　her　last　
day　of　work；　sent　her　home　in　a　limousine；　and　later　wrote　Northeastern　to　say；　〃Send　
us　five　more　like　Candace。〃　A　few　weeks　after　finishing　midterm　exams…she　was　on　a　
June…December　academic　schedule…Candace　Lee　Williams　decided　to　meet　her　roommate　
at　her　home　in　California。　Candace　had　recently　made　the　dean's　list。　〃They'd　rented　
a　convertible　preparing　for　the　occasion；　and　Candace　wanted　her　picture　taken　with　
that　Hollywood　sign；〃　her　mother；　Sherri；　told　the　Times。　
Unfortunately；　Candace　took　the　American　Airlines　Flight　11　that　departed　from　
Boston's　Logan　Airport　on　the　morning　of　September　11；　2001；　at　8：02　a。m。　The　plane　
was　hijacked　at　8：14　a。m。　by　five　men；　including　Mohammed　Atta；　who　was　in　seat　8D。　
With　Atta　at　the　controls；　the　Boeing　767…223ER　was　diverted　to　Manhattan　and　slammed　
Candace　Lee　Williams　right　back　into　the　very　same　World　Trade　Center　tower…between　
floors　94　and　98…where　she　had　worked　as　an　intern。　
Airline　records　show　that　she　was　seated　next　to　an　eighty…year…old　grandmother…two　
people　at　opposites　ends　of　life：　one　full　of　memories；　one　full　of　dreams。　
What　does　this　story　say　to　me？　It　says　this：　When　Candace　Lee　Williams　boarded　Flight　
11　she　could　not　have　imagined　how　it　would　end。　But　in　the　wake　of　9/11；　none　of　
us　can　now　board　an　airplane　without　imagining　how　it　could　end…that　what　happened　
to　Candace　Lee　


450　
Williams　could　also　happen　to　us。　We　all　are　now　so　much　more　conscious　that　a　person's　
life　can　be　wiped　out　by　the　arbitrary　will　of　a　madman　in　a　cave　in　Afghanistan。　
But　the　fact　is；　the　chances　of　our　plane　being　hijacked　by　terrorists　today　are　still　
infinitesimal。　We　are　more　likely　to　be　killed　hitting　a　deer　with　our　car　or　being　
struck　by　lightning。　So　even　though　we　can　now　imagine　what　could　happen　when　we　get　
on　an　airplane；　we　have　to　get　on　the　plane　anyway。　Because　the　alternative　to　not　
getting　on　that　plane　is　putting　ourselves　in　our　own　cave。　Imagination　can't　just　
be　about　reruns。　It　also　has　to　be　about　writing　our　own　new　script。　From　what　I　read　
about　Candace　Lee　Williams；　she　was　an　optimist。　I'd　bet　anything　she'd　still　be　
getting　on　planes　today　if　she　had　the　chance。　And　so　must　we　all。　
America's　role　in　the　world；　from　its　inception；　has　been　to　be　the　country　that　looks　
forward；　not　back。　One　of　the　most　dangerous　things　that　has　happened　to　America　since　
9/11；　under　the　Bush　administration；　is　that　we　have　gone　from　exporting　hope　to　
exporting　fear。　We　have　gone　from　trying　to　coax　the　best　out　of　the　world　to　snarling　
at　it　way　too　often。　And　when　you　export　fear；　you　end　up　importing　everyone　else's　
fears。　Yes；　we　need　people　who　can　imagine　the　worst；　because　the　worst　did　happen　
on　9/11　and　it　could　happen　again。　But；　as　I　said；　there　is　a　fine　line　between　
precaution　and　paranoia；　and　at　times　we　have　crossed　it。　Europeans　and　others　often　
love　to　make　fun　of　American　optimism　and　naivete…our　crazy　notion　that　every　problem　
has　a　solution；　that　tomorrow　can　be　better　than　yesterday；　that　the　future　can　always　
bury　the　past。　But　I　have　always　believed　that　deep　down　the　rest　of　the　world　envies　
that　American　optimism　and　naivete；　it　needs　it。　It　is　one　of　the　things　that　help　
keep　the　world　spinning　on　its　axis。　If　we　go　dark　as　a　society；　if　we　stop　being　
the　world's　〃dream　factory；〃　we　will　make　the　world　not　only　a　darker　place　but　also　
a　poorer　place。　
Analysts　have　always　tended　to　measure　a　society　by　classical　economic　and　social　
statistics：　its　deficit…to…GDP　ratio；　or　its　unemployment　rate；　or　the　rate　of　
literacy　among　its　adult　women。　Suchstatistics　are　important　and　revealing。　But　there　
is　another　statistic；　much　harder　
451　
to　measure；　that　I　think　is　even　more　important　and　revealing：　Does　your　society　have　
more　memories　than　dreams　or　more　dreams　than　memories？　
By　dreams　I　mean　the　positive；　life…affirming　variety。　The　business　organization　
consultant　Michael　Hammer　once　remarked；　〃One　thing　that　tells　me　a　company　is　in　
trouble　is　when　they　tell　me　how　good　they　were　in　the　past。　Same　with　countries。　
You　don't　want　to　forget　your　identity。　I　am　glad　you　were　great　in　the　fourteenth　
century；　but　that　was　then　and　this　is　now。　When　memories　exceed　dreams；　the　end　is　
near。　The　hallmark　of　a　truly　successful　organization　is　the　willingness　to　abandon　
what　made　it　successful　and　start　fresh。〃　
In　societies　that　have　more　memories　than　dreams；　too　many　people　are　spending　too　
many　days　looking　backward。　They　see　dignity；　affirmation；　and　self…worth　not　by　
mining　the　present　but　by　chewing　on　the　past。　And　even　that　is　usually　not　a　real　
past　but　an　imagined　and　adorned　past。　Indeed；　such　societies　focus　all　their　


imagination　on　making　that　imagined　past　even　more　beautiful　than　it　ever　was；　and　
then　they　cling　to　it　like　a　rosary　or　a　strand　of　worry　beads；　rather　than　imagining　
a　better　future　and　acting　on　that。　It　is　dangerous　enough　when　other　countries　go　
down　that　route；　it　would　be　disastrous　for　America　to　lose　its　bearings　and　move　
in　that　direction。　I　think　my　friend　David　Rothkopf；　the　former　Commerce　Department　
official　and　now　a　fellow　at　the　Carnegie　Endowment　for　International　Peace；　said　
it　best：　〃The　answer　for　us　lies　not　in　what　has　changed；　but　in　recognizing　what　
has　not　changed。　Because　only　through　this　recognition　will　we　begin　to　focus　on　the　
truly　critical　issues…an　effective　multilateral　response　to　weapons　of　mass　
destruction　proliferation；　the　creation　of　real　stakeholders　in　globalization　among　
the　world's　poor；　the　need　for　reform　in　the　Arab　world　and　a　style　of　U。S。　leadership　
that　seeks　to　build　our　base　of　support　worldwide　by　getting　more　people　to　voluntarily　
sign　onto　our　values。　We　need　to　remember　that　those　values　are　the　real　foundation　
for　our　security　and　the　real　source　of　our　strength。　And　we　need　to　recognize　that　
our　enemies　can　never　defeat　us。　Only　we　can　defeat　ourselves；　by　throwing　out　the　
rule　book　that　has　worked　for　us　for　a　long；　long　time。〃　
I　believe　that　history　will　make　very　clear　that　President　Bush　shame

lessly　exploited　the　emotions　around　9/11　for　political　purposes。　He　used　those　9/11　
emotions　to　take　a　far…right　Republican　domestic　agenda　on　taxes；　the　environment；　
and　social　issues　from　9/10…an　agenda　for　which　he　had　no　popular　mandate…and　drive　
it　into　a　9/12　world。　In　doing　so；　Mr。Bush　not　only　drove　a　wedge　between　Americans；　
and　between　Americans　and　the　world；　he　drove　a　wedge　between　America　and　its　own　
history　and　identity。　His　administration　transformed　the　United　States　into　〃the　
United　States　of　Fighting　Terrorism。〃　This　is　the　real　reason；　in　my　view；　that　so　
many　people　in　the　world　dislike　President　Bush　so　intensely。　They　feel　that　he　has　
taken　away　something　very　dear　to　them…an　America　that　exports　hope；　not　fear。　
We　need　our　president　to　restore　September　11　to　its　rightful　place　on　the　calendar…as　
the　day　after　September　10　and　before　September　12。　We　must　never　let　it　become　a　
day　that　defines　us。　Because　ultimately　September　11　is　about　them…the　bad　guys…not　
about　us。　
We're　about　the　Fourth　of　July。　We're　about　11/9。　
Beyond　trying　to　retain　the　best　of　our　own　imaginations；　what　else　can　we　do　as　
Americans　and　as　a　global　society　to　try　to　nurture　the　same　in　others？　One　has　to　
approach　this　question　with　great　humility。　What　leads　one　person　to　the　joy　of　
destruction　and　what　leads　another　to　the　joy　of　creation；　what　leads　one　to　imagine　
11/9　and　another　to　imagine　9/11；　is　surely　one　of　the　great　mysteries　of　contemporary　
life。　Moreover；　while　most　of　us　might　have　some　clue　about　how　to　nurture　a　more　
positive　imagination　for　our　own　kids；　and　maybe…maybe…for　our　fellow　citizens；　it　
is　presumptuous　to　think　that　we　can　do　it　for　others；　particularly　those　of　a　
different　culture；　speaking　different　languages；　and　living　half　a　world　away。　Yet　
9/11；　the　flattening　of　the　world；　and　the　continuing　threat　of　world…disrupting　
terrorism　suggest　that　not　thinking　about　this　is　its　own　kind　of　dangerous　naivete。　
So　I　insist　on　trying　to　do　so；　but　I　approach　this　issue　with　a　keen　awareness　of　


the　limits　of　what　any　outsider　can　know　or　do。　
Generally　speaking；　imagination　is　the　product　of　two　shaping　forces。　One　is　the　
narratives　that　people　are　nurtured　on…the　stories　and　myths　
453　
they　and　their　religious　and　national　leaders　tell　themselves…and　how　those　
narratives　feed　their　imaginations　one　way　or　another。　The　other　is　the　context　in　
which　people　grow　up；　which　has　a　huge　impact　on　shaping　how　they　see　the　world　and　
others。　Outsiders　cannot　get　inside　and　adjust　the　Mexican　or　Arab　or　Chinese　
narrative　any　more　than　they　can　get　inside　the　American　one。　Only　they　can　reinterpret　
their　narrative；　make　it　more　tolerant　or　forward　looking；　and　adapt　it　to　modernity。　
No　one　can　do　thatfor　them　or　even　with　them。　But　one　can　think　about　how　to　collaborate　
with　others　to　change　their　context…the　context　within　which　people　grow　up　and　live　
their　daily　lives…to　help　nurture　more　people　with　the　imagination　of　11/9　than　9/11。　
Let　me　offer　a　few　examples。