We remember.
We remember exactly where we were, what we were doing, who we were talking to. It was a beautiful September day. And then it wasn't anymore. And it wasn't for a long time.
Ten years later I simply need to let my thoughts fall. On Friday night I watched a 9-11 anniversary special on television and oddly enough, I wanted more. But more what? More words. More words examining, thinking, looking with fresh perspectives. More words leading us to a path that is different from the one this country has traveled since that fateful day. A path that initially brought people together but sadly, began to diverge into hardened stances where compassion seems to have evaporated.
Because it impossible for anyone to forget. All you need is one image. Just one image, of the north tower moments after it was hit, replays all the 9-11 stories, of both towers falling, of people running for their lives in NY and DC, a crater in a Pennsylvania. And bravery beyond what most of us know - with men who trudged 100 pounds of gear up the down staircases, and men who wouldn't take no for answer and stormed a cockpit. People whose world went dark and reached through their own moment of hellish terror to bring another to safety.
To honor their courage, to truly honor the memory of what happened, we need to do better. Beyond our words. We need to move beyond our words. Before they grow meaningless.
We remember exactly where we were, what we were doing, who we were talking to. It was a beautiful September day. And then it wasn't anymore. And it wasn't for a long time.
Ten years later I simply need to let my thoughts fall. On Friday night I watched a 9-11 anniversary special on television and oddly enough, I wanted more. But more what? More words. More words examining, thinking, looking with fresh perspectives. More words leading us to a path that is different from the one this country has traveled since that fateful day. A path that initially brought people together but sadly, began to diverge into hardened stances where compassion seems to have evaporated.
Because it impossible for anyone to forget. All you need is one image. Just one image, of the north tower moments after it was hit, replays all the 9-11 stories, of both towers falling, of people running for their lives in NY and DC, a crater in a Pennsylvania. And bravery beyond what most of us know - with men who trudged 100 pounds of gear up the down staircases, and men who wouldn't take no for answer and stormed a cockpit. People whose world went dark and reached through their own moment of hellish terror to bring another to safety.
To honor their courage, to truly honor the memory of what happened, we need to do better. Beyond our words. We need to move beyond our words. Before they grow meaningless.
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Samuel Barber, Adagio for Strings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGMwNe9WWmE
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