I did not watch any of the TV specials dedicated to remembering 9/11/2001. I was certainly aware of the date, and of the television coverage. But I didn’t want to watch politicians exploit the 10-year anniversary just as they exploited the original events. Nor did I want to be confronted with images of overt patriotism, or be reminded once again that as a nation, the past decade has not been our finest.
Ten years later, it’s clear that we did not take away from that terrible day the one lesson that could have led us down a vastly better path in the ensuing decade: that hatred and violence are not the answer. Not then. Not now. Not ever.
I do not fully accept the official version of what happened that day, but it must be understood that questioning the government’s story is not the same as saying 9/11 was an “inside job”. All I know is that many people in power have tried to keep us from finding out the full truth. Maybe some are trying to hide their own shortcomings. Maybe some are driven by sincere motives. Maybe some have something sinister to hide. I do not know, and I probably never will know for certain.
I do know that politicians and others used the events of 9/11 to push a previously held agenda, whether it be related to foreign policy, restricting civil liberties in the U.S., or simply making more money somehow.
I feel terrible for the 9/11 victims and their families. I admire the heroes who risked their own lives in an attempt to save others.
But I also feel terrible for the innocent people in several countries who have lost their lives because of my country’s irrational response to 9/11. And I admire those who have had the courage to say that what is wrong when done to an American is also wrong when done to anyone else.
While I understand the need for many people to remember 9/11 in a special way, I did not spend much time thinking of it this weekend. It was a terrible day, and in some ways, it’s been a terrible decade since. However, I’d rather honor the memory of all innocent victims of atrocities by trying to play a role, no matter how big or small, in the reforms of policy and thought that must be undertaken for us to emerge stronger and more peaceful, as a nation and a world.
This blog is part of my quest for an understanding of how to do that.
