In those first few weeks after 9/11, it was difficult to take in all the things happening, much less make some kind of sense of it all. Occasionally you read something in the paper or you heard something on TV which helped you put things in perspective. I remember by Thursday September 13th all of the sporting events that weekend had been cancelled. One of the NFL athletes was asked about playing on Sunday. He said, "Why? Who wants to play? I have a family and my heart just wouldn't be in it."

A TV journalist stopped a woman on the streets and asked about her business. She said, "I'm not interested in making money any more. My family and my relationships are the most important things in life."

The Late Show with David Letterman, as you may well know, is produced in the heart of New York City. It was Monday the 17th before the show was back on the air and Letterman said that the only reason he was back was due to the strength of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. In his opening monologue he praised the Mayor saying: "If you've been watching and you're confused, and depressed, and irritated, and angry, and full of grief and you don't know how to behave and you're not sure what to do, because we've never been through this before, all you had to do at any moment is watch the Mayor. Watch how this guy behaved. Watch how this guy conducted himself. Watch what this guy did. Listen to what this guy said. Rudolph Giuliani is the personification of courage. He's an amazing man and far better than we could have hoped for. To run the city in the midst of this obscene chaos and attack and also demonstrate human dignity... Who can do that? That's a pretty short list."

It's amazing how events like this can change our perspective. Giuliani was vilified by many, and has sense been vilified. But then he was respected by almost everyone. People appreciated what he did for the city. Events like this also tend to bring out the best in us. David Letterman, who mad a living making fun of everyone, including himself, has showed a more human side for sometime afterwards.

The new Arnold Schwarzenegger movie "Collateral Damage" was delayed in it's opening. It was due out less than one month after [Oct. 5th]. Ironically it was about terrorist of course. Target pulled violent video games off the shelf the day after. We really saw how insensitive we were before the events of the 11th.

That is what happened to the rich man in Jesus' story. When he arrived in hell and looked across the chasm at poor Lazarus sitting comfortably beside Abraham, his perspective was changed. He suddenly understood how insensitive and selfish he had been. What does it take to open our eyes? To help us see the collateral damage of our attitudes.