For me it was a normal Tuesday morning. I showered, shaved, and drove to class with heavy eyelids. September 11, 2001 was five years ago. If it weren't for the efforts of a select group of Muslim extremists, I would have no idea now what I did on this day five years ago. But due to the terriffic events in New York and elsewhere, I remember. I was in Biology class, reading that day's procedure for lab. I wore a red shirt I had bought that summer in Pensacola, FL. There was an excited mumbling from two students near me that I couldn't avoid hearing. I remember the words "attacked," "bomb," "New York," and so on. The rumors elaborated to include the Pentagon and something about the White House and airplaines. As soon as I realized what was happening, I left class and went straight home. The rest of the day and night were spent watching the news. I remember thinking about how significant this is, how the only thing that I've seen come close to this is the Oklahoma bombing. The most recent was Columbine, and neither of those events came close to what was happening. On television, planes crashed into the World Trade Center over and over again. It was replayed ad nauseam, and since by my definition in this case that meant more than zero, it was a sickening thing. Debris pouring down like snow, bodies falling—some holding hands—and the relentless crying of the distress sirens from buried firefighters. It was surreal.
The only thing I remember more vividly than the tragic footage and heartbreaking stories from that particular day is the strange unity that was felt so briefly afterward. For a little while, a great number of people in America forgot about certain things like race, money, and politics to think more about humanity. For just a little while, the joke e-mails gave way to forwards about love and family. In the news, shark attacks and Britney Spears were replaced by stories that stressed the value of people. As Christmas came, candles were lit in honor of the dead and money collected for people deprived of loved ones. Ironically, it was a great time. People seemed to care a great deal more. Less were thinking about themselves. It was surreal.
That time quickly faded, however. It's a great shame that we can't all walk around with that same feeling of unity. Though we had just been attacked and thousands died, there came an odd feeling of safety among the new notions of domestic terror. It was because there was a very quick, fleeting feeling of connection, of the spirit of America. The kind of feeling you may get when reading about the Revolutionary War. Because of trouble, conflict, and disaster, there was a focus on the core values of life. We bonded in a time of need. I regret that it seems we can only do that during a disaster.
As I'm reminded again this year of September 11, 2001, I think of these things and again hope for a time when that feeling will be more common and lasting. Maybe we can live with greater emphasis on those important things. Until the end, there's hope.
Comment Preview
Posted by: