See Past the Evil Monsters of Today

It is important for Americans to recognize the truth that lies behind the tragedy of the terrorist attacks, the anthrax scare and the recession that has devastated our financial resources as well as put people out of work. Many people are asking, “What’s next?” But as history has shown, Americans can and will meet these challenges.

There is a little-known but compelling story about Miobi, a boy adventurer who saw a lovely village during his travels. Approaching the village, he noticed that it was in a state of neglect and that the people looked troubled.

An elder he met explained that a monster at the top of a nearby mountain was expected to come down soon and destroy the village.

Miobi decided to hike up to the monster’s cave and try to reason with it. The elder warned against it, describing the monster as having the body of a bear, the head of a dragon and breathing fire.

As Miobi ascended the mountain, he noticed a remarkable thing: The monster got bigger as he moved away from it and smaller as he approached it. When he reached the mouth of the cave, the monster was only a small furry creature that purred.

Placing the monster in his pocket, Miobi returned to the village and showed the monster to the villagers.

Resting in Miobi’s hands, the monster was asked its name. It replied that it has been called many things--plague, war, famine. Yawning, it then said, “The most pitiful people simply call me, ‘What Might Happen.’”

In these times of uncertainty, it’s easy to imagine our own monsters. Unfortunately, these illusory beasts hide positive signs, such as those indicating the emergence of a new dawn for the United States and peace and prosperity for our world. Several unprecedented, positive forces are now in play. Our challenge is to see past the darkness to recognize tomorrow’s light.

First, few times in history have so many nations been united against a common enemy: terrorism. The United States, Russia and China, once mortal enemies, are now allies in a righteous cause. For the first time, there is one dominant world superpower and it has a humanitarian spirit. The only “evil empires” are the terrorist groups associated with nations such as Afghanistan and Iraq.

More than ever, Americans and our global neighbors are working toward better understanding with regard to race, culture and religion.

The Sept. 11 tragedy has brought unprecedented communication between Christians and Muslims.

Many countries are moving in new directions for peace within their borders and are opening themselves for peace outside their borders.

Despite several recent setbacks, Ireland’s rival groups are in the process of disarming. Who would have believed that China would be hosting the Olympics? Even the most pessimistic economists are expecting an economic turnaround in the U.S. some time next year.

Interestingly, the United States’ worst fears in crises have never been realized. Franklin Roosevelt was right in stating that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Is there a Southern and Northern United States today? Is Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union ruling the world? Is the world succumbing to the menacing grip of China? These fears were our response to the Civil War, World War II, the Cold War and the Vietnam War, and they were never realized.

After each major setback, the nation has come back. Why? Because when we fear the worst, we take the necessary action to prevent it; then we move on. We succeed because we have an enormous faith in God and in ourselves.

History tells us that the United States will emerge from this latest challenge stronger and better than ever.

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S. Mark Kopta is chairman of the psychology department at the University of Evansville in Indiana.