September 11, 2003
+2
Two years ago, my mom woke me up with a phone call on my day off, and I spent the day riveted to the television, watching America change before my eyes. It was too much -- my friends and I broke the gravity of the day by seeing a bad movie (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, for the record). We laughed more out of nervous relief than humor, and went home and stared transfixed at the TV some more. And the next day, and the next day.
Today I am at work, and other than this writing 9/11, as it is now iconically known as, will not affect my day. I'll do my work, grab some food on the way to a meeting, and do a little GB work before showering and going to bed.
It's not that I'm unaffected, really. There's no way I couldn't be, with all the changes in the country and the world. And I will always remember what happened that day and where I was. But day-to-day, hour-to-hour, nothing has changed. I'm still here, my job is intact, and the little things still happen the way they always have. It helps that I'm not in New York, that I don't know anyone who was lost or whose loved one(s) died. The reminders in my life -- other than the faded American flags in the rear windows of SUVs and minivans sharing the roads -- are few and distant, far removed from the gaping hole in Manhattan that will keep New Yorkers' wounds open until it is filled with a new set of buildings.
Some day, September 11 will mean nothing to children, no more than November 22 or April 4 mean to children today. Until then, it will tug at our minds, even if it's just another day.
Posted by Andrew Huff at September 11, 2003 02:20 PMIn elementary school, you are taught to remember all the days in our US history. You are asked to write stories, biographies, and to draw events that took place. Then suddenly, in middle school, it stops. You are no longer asked to think about the events that occured on that day, and you're certainly not asked to write a 2 page paper on MLK anymore. And then high school comes, and you're more interested in Jane's thong, then you are with current events. It's sad that we (children) cannot remember our history. I'm 20 years old, and I'm guilty as it as well. I think we need to look at our history more, and appreciate it more and not just say, "oh, i'm off from school today because of...blah blah blah day."
Posted by: Michael at September 12, 2003 11:15 AM