Friday, September 11, 2009

remember, remember the 'leventh o' september

Okay, that was a lame take on the "remember, remember the fifth of november," but, hey, I'm going on about....five and a half hours of sleep.
Eight years ago today, I was only a fourth grader, thoroughly confused as to why everyone was suddenly going home. Many rumors were spread-we had a bomb threat, someone killed someone- no one quite understood or knew what had happened at the same time we entered into our "morning meeting."
It still makes me sad to think of all the hatred that had to have gone into those men taking over planes and killing thousands upon thousands of innocent souls. It makes me frustrated to know that we could have prevented this.
But I won't focus on the negative emotions, and I won't drag you all through a sad, sad day again. I want to focus on the positives that came out of 9/11. Because, despite all the horror and grief, there was a silver lining to this thunder cloud.
America became more aware. It became closer. It seems lately, we've forgotten about that closeness, that sympathy, that empathy. Americans looked to each other for strength. Complete strangers were kind to each other, returning dropped wallets, helping with things. In the aftermath of such a terrorist attack, we turned to each other and for once America was truly, truly united.
So, my American friends (no, I take that back. To all my global friends), I beg of you to remember the closeness we had after these terrible attacks. Remember the kindness and compassion, and let's not let things like politics, religious beliefs, and prejudice keep us apart. Now, in this awful recession and this "war on terror," etc, etc, we need to understand each other. We need to see each other as human beings with feelings, with hopes and dreams and fears.
Let's not ever, ever allow another 9/11 to happen again. And not because we upped security or buckled down on protection. But because we learned to see past the cloud of differences and learned to love and respect each other.
"It's a turf war
On a global scale
I'd rather hear both sides of the tale
See, it's not about races
Just places, faces
Where your blood comes from
Is where your space is
I've seen the bright get duller
I'm not going to spend
My life being a color"
-Black & White

{sources: 1, 2}

19 comments:

  1. Hello,
    I remember 9/11, it was a truly horrid, disgusting act, which I cannot even understand why anyway would call the people who did this people. It happened when I was little,way before I moved to Australia. The aftermath though did result in a understanding all over the world and yes thats something we have quite recently lost

    xx

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  2. This is a wonderful tribute to 9/11...very well-written.

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  3. It's hard to even know what to say about 9/11, it's just so horrible. I visited the site when I was in NYC and it was so emotional.

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  4. I too remember very well what was going on that day of 8 years ago. It's weird how some things just stay impressed in your mind forever. I remember i was at my nan's sister's place. They were as usual talking, i was as usual bored. But i was always a good child, and mild, so i never complained. At a point, must have been like 3 in the afternoon ( local time ), they decided to switch on the tv, to see if they could find me some programme to watch so i wouldn't be bored. At the very moment, a special edition of the News started. A Special Edition never meant good things. But who could have imagined such a thing?
    At the time i may have been younger and NY may have seemed to me like a far more distant and surreal reality, but i was hit by that. The image of the twin towers collapsing is still vivid on my mind. That afternoon, later, i came home from my nan's, at 5.30, and waited for my younger neighbour to come home from where she was. First thing, i came up to her and told her if she knew what had happened. She didn't really understand what i was talking about. She was just 7 after all. I remember a feeling of uneasiness all along that day.

    xx
    tania

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  5. This is a lovely tribute post. I remember that when September 11th happened, I had just started ninth grade, and I was getting ready that morning, watching "Little House On the Prairie," when the program was interrupted with images of the towers being hit. I will never forget that day; or how I worried about my Uncle and Aunt I was at that moment.

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  6. I like this post. I remember when it happened very well. I was going to work that day, and I had to cancel all my clients because the mall was closing (I was 20, and worked in a salon). my friend and i just watched it on tv all day, and finally when we wanted to give blood, they turned us away because of our fresh tattoos from the month prior.

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  7. What a brilliant post. Everyone remembers when they heard about the 9/11 attacks, even if you're in a different country you'll never forget the first time you see those terrible images on the tv.

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  8. I think that everyone realized that we live in a global community...that those far away from us physically aren't so far away at all.

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  9. That first photo. beautiful photo. horrible reason.

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  10. Very well written!! Really great post!

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  11. It was one of those days that will never be forgotten...beautiful tribute.

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  12. I was in korea when it happened..
    terrible.. just so terrible. but yes, it's true, that the incident brought america together, and we should remind ourselves of the lesson..

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  13. the title reminded me of V for Vendetta, one of my favourite movies.
    I was at school when it happened. And everyone thought it was a joke, when another teacher popped in and told us.

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  14. Lovely post my dear - we have become more united as a nation!

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