I think we spend too much time wallowing in it.
Now before you flame me, hear my side. I had a meeting scheduled at the World Trade Center on that morning. Through slow paperwork, we had to postpone our meeting until later that afternoon. Not more than fifteen minutes after I hung up the phone from rescheduling the meeting, the first plane hit. I never heard from my client again.
My wife and I know 9 people who were killed - a few quite well. My wife has several students whose fathers were killed. We were very closely affected by this event.
But ten years on, I wonder if it might be time to put away the tears (but not the remembrance) and move on.
I heard an interesting comment by Chris Wallace the other day on the Imus show. He said to Imus, that we seem to spend a lot of time morning this event, and mentioned a 9-11 widow who said: Every year since its like I have to have another funeral for my husband.
9-11 affected us all greatly. It was an incredibly saddening event that deserved tears. But we cant keep crying every year over it. We can be pissed, we can be resolute, we can be rightfully indignant, but if we continue to mourn so visibly every year - so many years after the event - we play right into the terrorists hands. They got a bargain in the deal. Not only were we emotionally devastated in 2001, but we continue to be emotionally devastated each and every year to follow.
I think it might be time to move on emotionally, and to begin to look at 9-11 with the same emotion we view Pearl Harbor today -
- Dont forget, and make sure it doesnt happen again, but put away the misery and stand strong.
I don't recall the last time I thought about 9/11. It's good to take time this morning to remember what did happen on that day.