Remembering 9/11
I can’t believe it’s actually been 8 years already. 8 years ago that the two towers fell, and everything we know in this country changed drastically.
Sure, there were plenty of things that were at work well before that day, that affected us, but what the terrorists did on that one day changed the course of history immensely.
I still remember where I was that day. Some of us didn’t even know about it at first, like myself. I was walking into my Science class in high school to find the TV on CNN… and the scene on the screen was one of Hell on Earth. It was shortly after the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center, the dark smoke from the building blocking the sun from the camera, giving the sky this deep red color. It really did look vicious. I remember seeing the second plane crash into the towers on the tv, with utter shock.
I remember sitting out on the grass later, and everything around me just felt so surreal. I was just looking up at the cloudless sky, and seeing all of the plane jet streams heading in the exact same direction, to Logan International, spread across the entire sky.
It was incredible what happened the next few weeks. How all Americans finally FINALLY put aside all of their differences, and came together for the common good. However, the bad things also happened during the first two weeks. I’ve seen fellow students taking advantage of the moment by trying to get teachers to ignore teaching us. I know from their facial expressions and from their words that the students weren’t truly still devastated by the attacks, but wanted to not have to do work. That frustrated me to no end.
From this one devastating day, we endured 2 wars in two Middle Eastern countries, we’ve had laws passed to provide more security, and less privacy. I agree with some actions, and not with others, but I won’t get into that on here out of respect for the event that changed our lives.
9/11 had such an impact on everyone’s lives, in the United States and in some effect even abroad, that it’s definitely going to be one of those defining moments of the first decade of the 21st Century… I know it’s certainly helped shape the last 8 years of my life. How about yours?
Similar to your experience I was in high school too…math class… everyone went home early that day. There was a sense of panic and kids were getting called into the office. Everyone knew that those were the kids who had parents and relatives working in the city. It was the first time that I felt that the US wasn’t impervious; I always knew it, but thinking it and feeling it are two different matters.
We set up a box in the principal’s office where people could donate socks to people who were working at the site. Like you mentioned, there was a sense of everyone coming together, and differences being dropped to the wayside. Everyone reacts differently to tragedies, but I don’t recall anyone being indifferent to this event. The general population seemed to shift their view on flight. And the government.
I had a history professor who once said that you cannot objectively evaluate an event in history until 20 years later. By then many of the emotions are removed and a lot of facts are in. People have a very hard time accepting some of the facts of this event, which is understandable b/c there is a lot of ambiguity surrounding it. Of course there are conspiracy theories, however I think these are sometimes used a defense mechanism. It is very difficult to accept the fact that we as a nation are vulnerable, but we are…and it is not good to dwell on this day in and day out. But having an awareness of the reality, that whether it be for intricate or arbitrary reasons, humanity can turn dark and things like this can happen, can lead you to appreciate the moment and life itself a little bit more. Overall that is the most important thing I learned from 9/11.
Well, I was there I witnessed the second plane from about 100 yards away. It was very difficult for me to listen to any thing yesterday regarding the attacks, and if any image came on I had to look away. I often talk about what I experienced, and my last podcast dealt with what I went through. Hopefully this episode helps people keep the memory of those that lost their lives alive.