Newsblog: We are more than the sum of our stuff (registration required).
I’m not sure Maureen Dowd gets it right when she writes: “America has developed an aversion to consumer overindulgence at the very moment our leaders tell us the only way to prevail against the terrorists and prop up our economy is through consumer overindulgence.” But it’s worth trumpeting — the more you say you see it, the more people will act this way.
She also writes: “But our culture turns out to be about much more than its glittery surface, and that’s been clear in all that’s happened since Sept. 11: the exposure to the quiet lives of inspiration that so many victims led; the valor of rescue workers; the altruistic derring-do of the men who fought back on Flight 93; our concern about inflicting unnecessary suffering on innocent Afghans; the generosity and civic tolerance at the heart of our country’s response to horrific loss.”
I’d add “flocking to houses of worship” to the list. And more reflectiveness. More time for SOS.