Ten Years After

[senseamp]

Let me try to restate it simply.

Our coming together was driven by fear. With that fear we did terrible things. I find we are fortunate not to be together today, for it means that we live in good times, with no attacks, and less fear.

We are no longer distracted from our petty squabbles. So squabble we shall, and proud of it.

It wasn't fear that brought us together in the immediate aftermath. It was a shared righteous indignation. It was a sense that we were one nation, for once. Americans are actually a moral people in the sense that when we see an outrage happening, we want to do something about it. But we often choose to not see it happening, and stay in our little cocoons, worrying only about ourselves. We couldn't do that on 9/11. It was shoved in all of our faces. We saw an outrage as a nation, and we wanted to do something about it as a nation.
Fear-mongering for political gain is was what was used to tear us back apart and get us to do terrible and dumb things that hurt this country in the long run.

 

[Zorkorist]

I only felt fear, horror, and anger, in the days following 9/11. Never did I feel a sense of togetherness, or a pride for my countries actions; only a realization that our actions were probably right.

As we have learned, our countries actions were only partially right. That knowledge in itself is a victory against those that attack us. We are better prepared to stop their attacks today, than we were.

-John

 

[Bowfinger]

It wasn't fear that brought us together in the immediate aftermath. It was a shared righteous indignation. It was a sense that we were one nation, for once. Americans are actually a moral people in the sense that when we see an outrage happening, we want to do something about it. But we often choose to not see it happening, and stay in our little cocoons, worrying only about ourselves. We couldn't do that on 9/11. It was shoved in all of our faces. We saw an outrage as a nation, and we wanted to do something about it as a nation.
Fear-mongering for political gain is was what was used to tear us back apart and get us to do terrible and dumb things that hurt this country in the long run.

I agree. At least for me there wasn't fear. It was mostly anger and outrage, with what I'd now characterize as a bit of arrogant nationalism. I was confident we'd pull together and recover from the attack. That's just the way Americans are in a crisis. I remember telling others that whoever did this misjudged us if they thought we would just take it, that they were about to get their asses kicked because they poked the sleeping bear. In retrospect I was somewhat naive, but that's how I felt immediately afterwards.

 

[Nik]

I'm very ready to be past this mess.

 

[ericlp]

thank god tomorrow is 9/12!

 

[Whiskey16]

Now that the tenth anniversay of rememberance is over, I hope that most of you in the USA can speak out in remembrance and caring for those in other states of this world who suffered far more greatly than the USA, after the fact of the events of September 11, 2001, and in angry (often false) retribution for those events.

The USA bears a horrid responsibility for its misguided action in the post September 11 world. Few will forget or even forgive you for them, but an acknowledgment of them and their effects will at least be a start to healing.

Those in society gain respect in expressing sympathy, if not at least empathy, for those other than themselves.

 

[waggy]

I love my country.

Hey, I love my planet, too, but that love is more a concept -- intellectual and dry.

My love for my country, otoh, resides in my heart, not my mind. Indeed, I could say it is baked right into my bones, rises and contracts right along with each mortal beat of my heart, and lives in every single cell of my being.

It just is.

I grew up in a time and place where our love for America, our profound gratitude for being born Americans, was pervasive and just assumed. No one ever needed to say or proclaim it, or define it as exclusive to them and lacking in some group of others. Everyone I knew just had this quiet but bone solid love in their hearts, where it just was.

And so, I took 9/11 personally.

And I deeply remember the immediate aftermath, when that old spirit of inclusive, non-political patriotism, that we were all in this together, and that, together, all of us, the United States of America, could do anything we set our minds to, was briefly abroad in the Republic once again.

It felt great, that old optimism and trust in ourselves, that "can-do" spirit, that solidarity.

Fleeting, illusory, ridiculously sentimental . . . you may use whatever words in your vocabulary to scoff at my desire, I don't care.

Nothing will stop me from deeply wishing this for us, for all of us, to have and feel once again. :thumbsup:

/this

 

[Atreus21]

I love my country.

Hey, I love my planet, too, but that love is more a concept -- intellectual and dry.

My love for my country, otoh, resides in my heart, not my mind. Indeed, I could say it is baked right into my bones, rises and contracts right along with each mortal beat of my heart, and lives in every single cell of my being.

It just is.

I grew up in a time and place where our love for America, our profound gratitude for being born Americans, was pervasive and just assumed. No one ever needed to say or proclaim it, or define it as exclusive to them and lacking in some group of others. Everyone I knew just had this quiet but bone solid love in their hearts, where it just was.

And so, I took 9/11 personally.

And I deeply remember the immediate aftermath, when that old spirit of inclusive, non-political patriotism, that we were all in this together, and that, together, all of us, the United States of America, could do anything we set our minds to, was briefly abroad in the Republic once again.

It felt great, that old optimism and trust in ourselves, that "can-do" spirit, that solidarity.

Fleeting, illusory, ridiculously sentimental . . . you may use whatever words in your vocabulary to scoff at my desire, I don't care.

Nothing will stop me from deeply wishing this for us, for all of us, to have and feel once again. :thumbsup:

911 hit me much harder than Katrina did. One was an accident. The other was not. I'll never forget what I did that day.

 

[airdata]

9-11 summed up in about 5 minutes.+

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuC_4mGTs98&feature=player_embedded

 

[chucky2]

Now that the tenth anniversay of rememberance is over, I hope that most of you in the USA can speak out in remembrance and caring for those in other states of this world who suffered far more greatly than the USA, after the fact of the events of September 11, 2001, and in angry (often false) retribution for those events.

The USA bears a horrid responsibility for its misguided action in the post September 11 world. Few will forget or even forgive you for them, but an acknowledgment of them and their effects will at least be a start to healing.

Those in society gain respect in expressing sympathy, if not at least empathy, for those other than themselves.

Yes, we apologize for freeing Afghanistan and Iraq from oppressive regimes, letting them have elections they participated in, and spending shittons of money improving their countries.

We'll keep in mind to never be that generous again...

:thumbsup:

Chuck

 

[werepossum]

I love my country.

Hey, I love my planet, too, but that love is more a concept -- intellectual and dry.

My love for my country, otoh, resides in my heart, not my mind. Indeed, I could say it is baked right into my bones, rises and contracts right along with each mortal beat of my heart, and lives in every single cell of my being.

It just is.

I grew up in a time and place where our love for America, our profound gratitude for being born Americans, was pervasive and just assumed. No one ever needed to say or proclaim it, or define it as exclusive to them and lacking in some group of others. Everyone I knew just had this quiet but bone solid love in their hearts, where it just was.

And so, I took 9/11 personally.

And I deeply remember the immediate aftermath, when that old spirit of inclusive, non-political patriotism, that we were all in this together, and that, together, all of us, the United States of America, could do anything we set our minds to, was briefly abroad in the Republic once again.

It felt great, that old optimism and trust in ourselves, that "can-do" spirit, that solidarity.

Fleeting, illusory, ridiculously sentimental . . . you may use whatever words in your vocabulary to scoff at my desire, I don't care.

Nothing will stop me from deeply wishing this for us, for all of us, to have and feel once again. :thumbsup:

Excellent post.

 

[werepossum]

Agreed. Last week when the hurricane was coming through I stood in line with a bunch of strangers for a generator. It was the some of the best conversation I ever had with complete strangers. We laughed and told stories. I thought to myself why is it as a people we can't have that kind of communication except when there is a tragedy or an impending tragedy possibly on the horizon. We are a unique and a great people in this country, but we have learn to show it more in both good times and bad times.

It's always worth striking up conversations with strangers when thrown together. I'm much less social than my father and his father, but I still make it a point to strike up conversations with people. Most people I meet, most places I go, I find that chance-met strangers generally give you their best.