9/11 . . . Remembered a decade later
The morning dawned much like it did ten years ago with crispness in the air and clear blue skies. How likely is that in days of fading summer in Alaska? The similarities keen within the consciousness of the day for many people but there is also an overwhelming sense of loss . . . both in loved ones and in a broader sense in clarity.
Before the events leading up to that tragic day there seemed to be a sense of almost mystical character that was America. It had been chiseled into our beings by our forefathers and shaped the direction of its people would interact with each other and the world. It reminds us of all that was good in our world and how things should be for our children.
As a nation we had grown up (from another attack on our soil in December, 1941) and moved to never let such transgressions happen again. But somewhere as a country we were lazy in not recognizing how the world had changed around us and nothing prepared us for the sounds of jet engines whining up above and then ripping into one of our buildings in New York City. Not once but twice there and another ripping into the Pentagon in Washington, DC. There would be another but the heroes aboard Flight 93 decided to not allow that to happen and overcame the terrorists and the plane crash landed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. How many of us hear the sound of a jet engine whining above and stop to look up and see where it is going and in some way pray that it is not going to happen again?
For most, it is easy to remember where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news. Many of us were glued to the television watching as the events of that day and for many after unfolded real time in our living rooms and workplaces. It was another hinge point in the fabric of America that screamed out to be remembered as other time points of our past has done. Sadly we recall more bad memories in our lifetime than the good ones. All of the assassinations in the baby boomer years; JFK, Bobbie, MLK and the tragedies of the space program beginning with the Apollo 1 fire to the shuttle explosions above our nation left us with a renewed sense of self. We came together as our nation was shocked into a national consciousness bringing everyone together identifying our place in the world.
After 9/11 the country came together, not for revenge which is what many would want but to show our resilience to the world that it will not tear apart the ideals we have soundly based our Democracy on. We opened up to our neighbors and in the streets there was a shared belief we would all get through the events of that day. Flags were flying, people were talking and business returned to a near normal condition all the while work around the Trade Center continued to clear the debris, recover our family members, and slowly erase the visible scars from the planes.
It was a chance for better things to come but many times I feel it was a missed opportunity as those feelings which brought us together as a nation were over a small period of time replaced with the mentality of pre-9/11 days. There are a few more inconveniences going through the airports now and we have given up much of our privacy so the government can monitor the activities on the internet, the phone and communication devices to prevent another tragedy. Still all in all that is not a bad thing but 10 years later it seems a little to late for the families and loved ones of those lost that day. There are those who worked selflessly in the recovery and cleanup who continue today to be affected (many silently as to not take away from their fallen brothers).
Everyone was taken back that clear, blue sky morning. You did not have to be at ground zero as the effects were world wide in stature. Even with the time zone changes across America it was a point in time that took on a major meaning to be an American.
We cannot change time, nor should we. We cannot allow ourselves to be bullied by others with a difference in attitude or lifestyle nor can we ever forget those whose day changed our lives that were left behind when the towers came down or flames subsided in Washington or Pennsylvania.
The morning dawned much like it did ten years ago . . .
We remember you . . . it is woven into our consciousness.
Comments