... the legacy of 9/11.
Fifteen years later, and the memories of that day haven't faded.
In many ways, it's a misnomer to only talk about the memories of "that day", seeing as how the experience of 9/11 was so much more than just seeing the planes crash into the towers, and the towers subsequently crash into New York City proper ... it was more than hearing of the other planes -- one hitting its target and another missing its intended mark courtesy of the gumption that underlies the best of the human spirit and that gilds the decisions regarding the sacrifices that heroes make.
It was so much more than the hours glued to the television in the week(s) after, as America communed over the coverage, devouring morsels of information as they became available -- all for the hope of understanding how hatred of "the other" could lead to senseless violence on a massive scale ... and all for naught, leaving individuals with the uncertain empty understanding that "senseless" means by very definition that it will never make sense.
It was so much more than walking out of a hotel in downtown Chicago after arriving on the night of the 10th of September of 2001 on a mission to find an apartment and a job -- only to find the evacuation of the Magnificent Mile for fear that Chitown was to be the next target. It was so much more than pulling the family van over on the side of the road for a moment of silence a week later once the death toll numbers were known and the country collectively cried at the designated hour. It was so much more than the wars that followed ... the death and destruction upon death and destruction that cycles out of control to this very day.
For that's just it. The experience of 9/11 is ongoing. There's a second wave of illnesses linked to the toxicity of ground zero. There's a second generation now reaching the age of understanding with the losses now a part of the collective consciousness of America -- a grouping of individuals for whom there is no recollection of a world before 9/11.
And there's an urgency ... an urgency to remember those that gave their lives as part of the 9/11 experience and all that came after. But a greater urgency to find some way to rally humanity to rise above the hatred in this world ... to shine the light of freedom to the heavens so that it reflects back and guides those struggling to find peace and love on this planet for all fellow humans.
With apologies to Paul the letter writer, it's an urgency to see hatred for what it is and to stop it in its tracks, for, as I stated six years ago in a similarly reflective mood: "Hatred is not patient, hatred is not kind. It is consumed by envy, it frequently boasts, it is always proud. It is rude, self-seeking, easily angered and it forever keeps record of wrongs. Hatred delights in evil but shuns the truth. It always destroys, always betrays, always feeds on fears, and is always insidious. Hatred too often wins ... the worst of these is hatred."
The legacy of 9/11 is that each and every one of us is called into action to defeat hatred wherever it exists, including in our own hearts. Won't you join me in the battle, this day in particular ... but also for all days.
THE SECOND WAVE OF 9/11 DEATHS:
http://www.newsweek.com/2016/09/16/9-11-death-toll-rising-496214.html
9/11 BABIES, NOW ENTERING THE AGE OF UNDERSTANDING:
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-911-anniversary-montclair-snap-story.html
AND, OF COURSE, THE 9/11 CANINES:
http://www.akc.org/news/the-legacy-of-9-11-dogs-15-years-later/
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