9/11/06 is a memorable day for many. Anyone who has the access to technology that would allow them to read this blog probably knows exactly where they were on that day.
Regardless of your thoughts now, perspectives on the war, politics, etc. There is no denying that 9/11/06 had a major effect on many of our lives, our way of thinking, the issues we thought through, etc.
I want to make this an open thread for readers to share briefly how 9/11 shaped them, but to encourage that I’ll start with a brief thought.
Before 9/11 I honestly couldn’t tell you the difference between a Democrat and a Republican (I knew they were different, just didn’t know who supported what). 9/11 caused me to think about my views on politics, war, evil and terrorism.
So, now it’s your turn:
How did 9/11/06 Shape you?
my story?
i was in latin class my sophomore year of high school when the librarian rushed into the classroom, grabbed my teacher by the arm, and pulled her out into the hallway mid-lesson. when my teacher came back in, we all knew that something was wrong. she reached up and turned on the television and a few minutes later, we watched the second plane fly into the tower, live. my teacher told us that this would change our world, but none of us really had any concept of what she meant by that.
later that day, kids were trying to call their parents, as many of them worked at the pentagon. and in an area surrounded by military bases, i think everyone was a bit concerned. my own father works on langley air force base, and i basically just wanted to get home and see him. it was a pretty fightening time.
as for the obvious ways in which it has shaped my life, there are tickertapes on the bottom of every news channel now, which wasn’t the case prior to 9/11. and i hate them, still. haha. i heard peter jennings (now deceased) say at one point, “we don’t know what the hell is going on,” for which he was made to apologize a few minutes later. this was probably one of the most frightening statements i’d heard come out an adult’s mouth, and i can still picture it like i saw it yesterday.
an indian friend of mine faced some rough times in the coming weeks from peers at our school, which was one of my first noticeable exposures to racial and religious hatred. this was huge for me, as it planted the seed in my heart for this group of people, for which i find myself in college 5 years later learning how to make a career out of showing them something other than hatred. it also forced me to process through the root causes of these racial and religious conflicts, as well as how the ideas behind them seemed to catch on so quickly (even catching on with me, if i wasn’t consciously aware). in doing so, i was inadvertantly finding my own identity and purpose and drive to serve.
i’ll end this by saying that the one image that has stuck with me were the people falling out of the towers, as i watched the live coverage, and both “ground zero” and the bombed-out pentagon- both of which i ended up seeing in person in the weeks to follow.
it made me realize what a disgusting media machine America operates. before 9/11 there was no “bottom of the screen news ticker”. we (the American public) didn’t have such an overwhelmingly unsatiable desire to know everything the moment it happened. post 9/11, however, we all became addicted to life before it even happened. i guess the events surrounding 9/11 made me realize and think about even further the role of the media in my life and how much i allow it to shape me, my faith, my politics, my love, my hate, and my disposition.