This is a hard time of year for me, as I am sure it is a hard time of year for everyone. We all remember 9/11 and what we were doing that day. Where we were that day. We remember the second the first tower got hit, we remember the second the second tower got hit, and we remember when it all came crashing down. New York wept, as did the world. And today is the day we remember it whether we want to or not.
I was fortunate enough to not have anyone I know and love in New York at the time. Nobody in my family was in the towers when they fell. But that doesn’t mean I am not affected. For a millennial, this event was the single most traumatizing news event in the world. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and that picture of the towers smoking, burning, and crumbling says even more to me. I never thought I would watch lives end on national television, but that day, the smoke and dust was eerily reminiscent of a spirit ascending to the heavens.
Take a moment, and watch some footage in a moment of silence with me. (Approx. 10 minutes.):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVhhu5OjMf8
As a kid when this happened I must admit, I didn’t take it seriously. My first thought when I got home and flipped on the television after a day of school was “Where are my cartoons?”. I was easily bored of the repetitious footage, and didn’t understand what it all meant. Oh, the innocence of a child. But then I learnt more about the events and who was affected directly, people in my own town, firefighters that rushed out to help in New York Cities time of need. I learnt that all air traffic was halted, and that people who thought they knew what they were doing admitted to complete failure that day. And I also heard stories about a potential government conspiracy.
So, believe what you want about 9/11, whether you be a conspiracy theorist, or you believe in the terrorist activity that lead to the towers collapsing. No matter what race you are, no matter where you are from, and no matter who you are, remember today, even if you don’t want to. The only way to move to the future is to acknowledge the past. We need to prevent against things like this happening in the future, but we shouldn’t give up our fundamental freedoms to do it. RIP all those lives that were lost Eleven years ago today, we will never forget the tragic, untimely end to your lives. And we will never forget those twin towers.
Share this article if you made it to the end, share it if you had a tear in your eye, but ultimately, share it to remember.
themillennialperspective 