Sunday, September 11, 2011

Remembering 9/11

On September 11, 2001, I was in grade 9.  I'm not going to reiterate all the things that happened that day.  We all know.  I had been Wiccan for 2 years.  I remember clearly the Silence that Star Foster mentioned the other day.

We were told shortly after getting to school that morning, and the only teacher who didn't let their students go watch the TV in the library was ours.  Apparently literature was more important to her.  I didn't see any of the footage until I got home.  I remember my 14 year old self being terrified at the thought of war.

In the decades since, there has been a lot of hammering back and forth as to who should have done what, and whose fault it is.  It doesn't matter though.

What matters is that people lost their lives that day.  What matters is what we take out of the experience - do we become afraid of each other, and ignore our neighbors?  Or do we band together, forming communities where there were none, bound together through experience and the simple connection of our humanity?

I like to think that we have done the latter.  Have you ever heard of MeetUps?  It's a website, meetup.com, which was born out of 9/11 - and the need for community and connection after tragedy.

Yes, that was a sad day - and the memories of the fallen deserve better than conspiracy theories, fear mongering and hate.  If out of a tragic day can come community, hope and love for our fellow man, then it wasn't in vain.

What do you think has come out of 9/11?

Goddess Bless,
Stacy

1 comment:

  1. I think 9/11 showed us that we were not immune to global violence. What disappoints me (aside from the tragic loss of life that day) is that we had the goodwill of a global community after that, and we blew it.

    I want people to remember today and be reminded that religious zealousness can have terrible consequences. That humans are capable of greatness and of viciousness and that every day we have a choice to make our world better or worse. For my part, though I will sometimes fail, I want to make it better.

    May the peace of the Gods go with us all.

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