The United States' new war against terrorism has already changed the way many of us live our lives. We wait longer to board airplanes. We listen closer to news reports from overseas. We are constantly "on the lookout," mindful that the war may again show up in our backyards soon.
That response is to be expected. Our fighting men and women, after all, are waging war against an enemy that is both elusive and industrious. The enemy is unpredictable, and employs neither the structure nor the methods of past foes. And that enemy's favorite targets, most horribly, are innocent civilians.
The sheer potential for danger is mindboggling. And, considering the near inevitability of further terrorist activity on our shores, it's enough to drive stakes of uncertainty through the souls of even the most optimistic.
But that uncertainty, even during these difficult times, must not affect the way Americans go about their everyday lives.
It may now seem convenient to abandon the vestiges of "normal life" in favor of the defense mechanisms we so readily associate with tragedy. And so, some may choose to relieve themselves of work, or to abandon vacation plans, or to put off the business of living -- simply because the magnitude of war abroad has created an atmosphere of fear.
But that response does little to promote safety here at home. In fact, it plays right into the terrorists' hands -- by breaking down the social, political and economic fabric that has long made this country great.
Thankfully, it appears that most Americans have avoided such recoilings in recent days -- as evidenced by the high energy at Sunday's professional football games, played just minutes after President Bush announced that U.S. forces had begun an assault on Taliban targets in Afghanistan.
The coming days and weeks, though, may change the situation dramatically. And events may alter our willingness to go about life so casually while the political climate changes around us.
During those times, just like now, it is crucial that we band together and commit to maintaining normalcy -- no matter what the cost.
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