Why We’ll Never Forget

Each time the calendar hits September 11th, I find myself wondering if I should even make mention of it on this site. Our first year or two, so few people read the site that it seemed trite to do so (though I probably still did), and now that we’ve got a fair bit of readership we just wonder if it’s appropriate given the usual content that we spread to the masses. So let me just say that it feels like it’s my duty to say something even when great minds agree that saying nothing rather than saying something for the sake of having something said is always the best policy.

9/11 was not the worst day of my life, but it may have been the worst day for others. No doubt the families of the victims of the attacks live today with heavy hearts and sorrows that I can’t begin to understand. But for me, while I’ve not forgotten the horrors and I’ve not unburdened the memories of the attacks of all their weight, 9/11 has begun to transform from a day of mourning to a day of pride. This morning, as I watched all the 24/7 news outlets try to find ways to fill 24/7 news demands with “new” ways to talk about the attacks that happened 8 years ago today, I just sat their and marveled. I marveled at the bravery of those who ran to the scenes of the attacks to save people they didn’t know. I marveled at the strength of those on Flight 93 who probably saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives other than their own. And I marveled at the members of the armed forces who act with such conviction to protect this great country of ours and strike with such swiftness at those who would do us harm.

I wonder if those who planned and instigated the attacks ever expected this. I wonder if they had any idea that all they would really accomplish was a moment in time that provided heroes the opportunity to show themselves. I wonder if that disappoints them or infuriates them. I wonder if they’re even capable of grasping what they really did, and I pity them for lacking an imagination that would allow them to fathom our own wonderful circumstance. If only they could have dared to dream of a land where all men and women are equal, self-evident truths are sacrosanct, and brave people live free.