Originally posted by: BaliBabyDoc
Another thing Bali is that you are a doctor and typically see a lot more death and the causes of death than the average joe. That colors your perspective on issues and I am not saying that is bad thing, but you mustn't confuse your reality with the reality of others.
I'm not being picky but you mean "perception" . . . trust me I understand all too well how "perception" is colored by experience. But the reality is that 9/11 per se will not happen again but throughout the world and every year for many years before now . . . thousands of people have died in horrific events (natural and unnatural). When people talk about how "9/11 changed everything" that means their reality (read: perception) was always very limited. Anybody that has traveled this world knows that suffering exists in bounty . . . wonderful people living (and dying) in unimaginable conditions . . . unimaginable for people more concerned with JLo/Ben and Brad/Jennifer than the condition of their fellow human beings.
As Americans we live in an ignorant society. Which is inexcusable considering we are wealthiest (monetary) nation on the planet. 9/11 was indeed a wake up call for many but if our response is to mourn our dead and curse our attackers (well curse everyone except their Saudi supporters) then we are still lost in the wilderness. The lesson learned should be a respect for this small place that we all occupy. Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere . . . we left Karzai the mayor of Kabul while the rest of country has descended into disorder which is worse than the Taliban . . . but America calls it victory.
Spotty electricity (before the war), water, and security for Iraq remains a work requiring billions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of workers, and many months to repair but our Commander-in-Chief calls it . . . "mission accomplished."
It is human nature to be more emotional about a larger event. Don't ask me why but it just is. Maybe you feel going against human nature and being a stoic is a good idea, but it isn't healthy for me and a majority of Americans.
Fear, anger, sympathy, empathy . . . are indeed emotions but there is no human hierarchy based on number.
Do you remember
Hurricane Mitch? That was 3x the direct human casualties of 9/11 not to mention the devastation. A Colombian volcano in 1985 killed 20K more people than 9/11. So be honest it wasn't the loss of life b/c no one is talking about a moment of silence for 10/28/98 (Hurricane Mitch) or whatever the date was in '85. This moment of silence is b/c these were mainly
American lives lost. The same BS when a news report comes on about some accident or natural disaster . . . they can scarcely catch their breath as they recount how many
American lives were lost. What you call
stoic is me keeping it real. Innocent people die every day for a myriad of causes . . . hence 9/11 is just another bad day for humanity . . . with the one caveat that we are doing it to ourselves.