As an African American psychologist and professor and as a human being, I just wanted to add my voice to the chorus of those who do not believe that war is the answer to the horrific events that has befallen the United States. To be sure, it is important to respond by bringing those who are responsible to justice, but this must be done in such a way that does not create an ever-escalating destructive path for humanity. Humanity, I believe, is at a point in its history whereby it is about to make a Great Decision. It is a decision that will, to a large extent, determine its path for some time to come.

I urge us, therefore, to think of those remarkable souls who sacrificed their lives, and in doing so, provided humanity with a great opportunity to shift its consciousness to a higher level of co-creating the world. Many have already responded with their hearts, as witnessed by the outpouring of giving and caring that has gone on and continues to go on for those who have been directly impacted. It is this higher path of constructive co-creation, on a wide scale, fueled by the qualities of wisdom, compassion, understanding, patience, courage, flexibility, acceptance, harmony, inclusion, trust, hope, enthusiasm, humor, abundance, inspiration, clarity, unity, serenity, truth, and yes love that is a possibility for humanity. It is a higher path based on the premise of an expanded consciousness, collaborative enterprises and mutually-assured growth with joy and empowerment.

Yet, the path of destructive co-creation is also a possibility for humanity, fueled primarily by fear, hatred, mistrust, pain, numbness, addiction, and a spirit of revenge. The path of destructive co-creation is based on the premise of a self-limiting consciousness, confrontational enterprises and mutually-assured growth through pain and power struggles. While anger and outrage are certainly appropriate gut responses to the horrific events in New York and Washington, they should not be allowed to direct humanity's collective course. It is how humanity channels these emotions, how we uplift them to a higher order that is the Great Challenge.

As human beings, we should first allow ourselves to fully go through the various stages of the grieving process. Then, we should pause and consider the two path that have presented themselves. We should realize that it is our beliefs which structure our realities and we should understand that beliefs are not truths per se. We should then recognize that we will structure any "new reality" based on what we believe is possible or not. This is, therefore, a time for humanity's Great Decision. Let us choose wisely.

Carroy U. Ferguson, Ph.D.
Professor, UMass-Boston &
Associate Editor, Journal of Humanistic Psychology