Via Basel: Could This Be My Last Column?
Could This Be My Last Column?
Last week, I began writing my monthly column for EIL, a practice that has been a regular part of my life for the past 14 years, following the profound loss of my son, Chris. The subject was, I believe, deep, thoughtful, and practical, and I had looked forward to polishing it with the help of EIL editor Kathleen before publication. The subjects I have written about range from the historical personal to the cultural, philosophic and current events including political commentary.
However, I woke up this morning with a strange and powerful conviction. In today’s world—with the immediate and overwhelming proximity of tragedy and loss in my community and across my country—anything I write that does not address this central, most human issue feels superficial, meaningless, and unworthy of my deepest inner expression.
I am a lover of free expression, yet I know it can be abused and dangerous when it intentionally twists basic truths and misinforms. Sixty-five years ago, in another place and time, as a teenager I was livid and insulted to read a news magazine with a page ripped out by a government censor. I was denied the right to decide for myself if the content was right or wrong, truthful or false, or what opinion I might form based on my living experience and learned logic, limited as it may have been at that early stage in my life.
We are now faced with a downward cascade of events unfathomable to many of us even months or a year ago. It has culminated in the execution-style murder of a 37-year-old ICU nurse, shot while documenting and protecting a woman from assault. This followed the shooting of a 37-year-old mother trying to flee her assailants, and numerous other victims. These acts were committed in broad daylight, with no hesitation or remorse, by angry, untrained, fully-armed enforcers of an authoritarian regime. The natural evolution of these events is a rapid and expected descent toward imposing censorship on all contrary points of view. It has happened elsewhere, and it is poised to happen here in the USA. A perspective I carry: coming of age in a dictatorship and now 80 years old experiencing a loss of civility, humanity, and democracy in my adopted country of 55 years.
That is: Unless we wake up—yes, we must be WOKE—the Rubicon has been crossed, and there is no turning back. This is no longer a vague moral, ethical, or spiritual dilemma. Today, there is an unmistakable clarity, unless you choose to ignore it. The choice is freedom versus subjugation, justice versus oppression, and love versus hate. Do not hide in grey areas or vague justifications. Once we restore our democracy, we can then respectfully discuss and vote on the details and nuances of our differences. But right now, we have to save our Republic and our lives.
Basel Al-Aswad, father of EIL founder Christopher Al-Aswad, is a yogi trapped in an Orthopedic Surgeon’s body. His loves in life include reading, writing, hiking, enjoying nature, meditation, and spending time with his large Iraqi family; now, semi-retired, he is exploring new avenues in medicine, education, public speaking, teaching, and social engagement.
Via Basel: On the Surface of It
Via Basel: My First Taste of Freedom
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