I didn't know anyone who was affected in any way by the terrorist attacks on 9/11. But like many, a part of me died with those people in that building, in those planes; the victims above the impact points, some of whom jumped out of a window in the desperate hope that they MIGHT be spared in some way, the heroes on Flight 93 which crashed in PA who came to the conclusion that they were the last missile outbound that day, that they needed to do something, they needed to sacrifice themselves to save others. What died in me was my innocence of terrorism and hate, my arrogance of safety and invulnerability, the compassion for all others I used to give freely but now mostly offer with a suspicious eye.
Where are americans now? Well, as I said in the title of this post, back at square one from ground zero, in my opinion. Too many of us have retreated back into the same stupid, arrogant, self-centered, "no give a shit about anyone else" mode of behavior that they had before 9/11. Once again, we can't see past our own little circle of influence (which, by the way, extends approximately 2 feet around our body) to give a damm about the global situation, about society as a whole. Some people are parasites, trying to use the most horrible terrorist attack in history for their own gain, claiming to have lost loved ones in order to collect insurance money. A shiek, out of embarassment and generosity, offers 10 million dollars, and an african american politician says "give it to the poor black people" after the US says "no thanks".
People honor the memory of 9/11, but frankly, as a whole, they don't do much with that memory. Those affected mourn the loss of loved ones, but too many of the rest of us just pay lip service and continued on with the same selfish outlook on life. And frankly, we've regressed further...
We might be the best nation on earth, the free-est, but that doesn't mean that our society isn't filled with a bunch of selfish morons...
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