Sunday, September 16th, 2001
What a time for a metamorphosis. I am truly amazed at such acts of violence. At times I have to remind myself that: Yes, thousands of people will only exist in remembrance due to one act, but sadly, this is not uncommon. Many people have died at our own government’s hands; the only difference is that it is us that is being struck down and all at once, not one by one like in Chile. This is no way says that what was done to us was being deserved, because it wasn’t; the statement I am trying to convey is that we have just as much blood on our hands as everyone else.
I have always known that us in America have had a vulnerable underbelly, I believe that many people were stricken with the belief that we were unbreakable. Indivisible, I can believe that, but unbreakable: never. We are just as fragile, if not more, than countries that deal with this same horrendous reality everyday, they have one thing that keeps them more prepared than us; they know it can happen, they don’t sit high upon their reverie of invincibility.
Is there a way we could have stopped this before it occurred? I believe so, some would preach carpet bombings, ground assaults, tactical strikes. However, I would preach the tactical policy making. I think it to be undeniable to say that the way we treat our coinhabitants of this planet with utmost disregard. We need to have something a little bit more cheaper, even at the expense of someone else. In a sense it is a global piracy; is this a reason to have thousands die? Of course not. I just believe that should actually initiate what they hold so much stock in. A good portion of this country will say: treat your neighbor as you wish be treated; at times this seems to only apply to our white christian neighbors. We have exploited people. Some people want retribution, sometimes this is as simple as an apology. But we are just as infallible as we are invincible. Now some of these people want blood, our blood, maybe if we had set aside the pain in our being called pride, we could have saved ourselves from our own makings.
I will not say “maybe this was for the better,” NOTHING is worth being better for the death, or even suffering of one person. But I believe this will make us as people a little bit more conscience of how we treat other people. The exploitation maybe useful at one point, can be deadly at another. But do we try to secure such thoughts? No. Our response to being shown our faults is to kill kill kill. The same three words that provided us with a head of concrete and humanity. The American people aren’t shouting out “let us learn from this, let us reform our methods and then our world!” I think we all know what is being said. Here is a question that anyone above the age of three can answer: how do you stop a fist fight? By putting down your fists or going in for another swing.
I have seen buildings crumble to nothing. I have seen our world on its knees. I have seen a person throw themselves to avoid being killed at the hands of someone else, only to cartwheel down to the inevitable; I wonder if it was in defiance of the hate. I have seen humanity at its worst and best; and now see humanity.
My generation is now defined.
Tags: 9/11
