Where were you?

I couldn’t let today’s dark anniversary pass without mention. If for some reason you are unaware of what the date September 11 means then I highly recommend you leave now and remain blissfully ignorant of the harsh nature of our world. In fact I can suggest that you go here or here for some entertainment. If you’re still here then let’s go shall we.

First off I want to throw you a link that I prefer to think of as antidote to the media coverage you will be besieged with for the next day or so. While the television and newspapers will clamor over one another to present you all the imagery and conjecture you can stomach you will be left reeling. Yet with all the “information” we will have thrown at us we will still remain ignorant of those that lost their lives. Sure some of us will know the hijackers and the key players, but what of the rest? The mothers, fathers and children who’s only mistake that day was to go to work. This is where I applaud the efforts of the 2996 project and sites like this one for bringing us the stories of the people who make up the statistics. Too often we are presented with tragedy through the media and the coverage focuses on the bad guys. The purveyors of hate and violence are celebrated while their victims go unmentioned. Who were they? Why do they deserve less attention than the villains? The world is fascinated by tragedy and violence and the media is doing what they can to make a buck. The circle completes itself as they present what people want to see so that they can continue to make money and present the news, which eventually degrades into a steady stream of images and tragedy.

Enough of that rant! The concept of the whole day is too much for my little mind to comprehend. Despite knowing absolutely nobody in the attacks I am forever changed by the event. My children hadn’t been born yet and won’t know a world before all of this took place. I remember a past where you could travel without worry. Security wasn’t so blatantly obvious and hate was a little less widespread. A coworker and I were stopping for breakfast as it all began and we wandered into the diner where we stopped a million times before. We knew something huge was taking place when we walked in the door and the usually noisy diner was silent. Twenty or so bodies were all string at the little grease covered television screen in the corner of the room with an attentiveness I wasn’t sure some of them could have mustered. We asked a friend by the door what had happened and he simply said “It’s world war three man! Somebody’s attacking the States!” Just as we were joining the vacant mob and staring at the television in disbelief, the second plane slammed in and broke the spell. The diner exploded in conversation and theories and I’m not entirely sure they’ve stopped to this day. We shot over to the coworker’s house and began soaking up all the coverage that the rest of the world was seeing. We watched the entire thing unfold in front of our eyes. The Pentagon hit, the reports of additional planes in the air, the theories and the politicians and experts and all. Aside from all the imagery that will stick with us all in the falling buildings, the falling people, the crashing planes and so on, I have another thing that will stick with me over all my years. As we were watching it all unfold I remember telling someone that the whole thing seemed too real to be real. It was like I had stepped into a Tom Clancy book, so when they were interviewing him on the television a little later in the afternoon I got a bit of a chuckle at that.

The world has been forever changed and while people look further into things and muddy up the whole thing is search of a truth that will never actually be known, we can remember what it did for us. I get a laugh at the governments urging their people to remain vigilant to not to allow the terrorists to win. Personally I think in the fact that air travel will always be on edge and flights get canceled due to the latest threat to safety that they have won. They have forever changed our world and our lives. The effects will last for lifetimes and unless we get really lucky the wars will likely last as long too. I will choose to remember the dark events of that day and will forever be grateful for what it gave to me. That day began a new day in my mind and my life. Having seen how easy it is to be erased from this planet by the actions of anyone at all, I chose to enjoy my life and those around me to the fullest. Try not to get mired down in the petty day to day stuff that interferes with happiness. Life is short and more valuable than anything else on this planet so value it. Enjoy it. Hug it and squeeze it and love it and call it George. To ignore that after seeing so much heartache would be the greatest tragedy of all I think.

Today I throw you two questions then.
Where were you when you found out what was happening?
How has it changed you?


And to put it all in perspective, here you go

Think about the following:

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for
Best Actor and Actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series Winners (by year).


How did you do?


The point is, none of us remembers the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers.
They're the best in their fields.
But the applause dies.
Awards tarnish.
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.


Now here's another quiz.
See how you do on this one:


1. List a few teachers who aided your
journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you
through a difficult time in your life.

3. Name five people who have taught you
some worthwhile lesson.

4. Think of a few people who have made you
feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending
time with.

6. Name a half dozen heroes whose stories
have inspired you.

Easier?

The lesson?

The people who make a difference in your
life aren't the ones with the most
credentials, the most money, or the most
awards. They're the ones who care.