One year already has passed. Is it possible? Have we moved on? Time to reflect. Time to gain understanding in a time of history and what we face as a humanity, community, ...family.


I will never forget the horrifying phone call I got from my mom last year, morning of 9/11. She was hysterical, which was completely upsetting in itself. Watching the buildings collapse a moment (literally) after it happened... Confusion is all I could feel at first. Then slowly, strongly, fear started to overwhelm me. It crawled into the deepest part of my soul, awakening a sense of myself I had never felt before. Anger and patriotism rang through my shell like churchbells on Sunday. I will do whatever it takes to help is all I kept thinking. What is needed of me? How can I help? What can I do?

I must love. Give compassion. Cry for the pained. Try not to feel helpless...be strong. Let this flow into what it must. Survive this...survive this... survive this...








We have all been affected by this tragedy. My love and compassion out to all of you.

That was the scarriest day of my life. I was inbetween job assignments and was home. It was around 7:00 and I was waking up when my mom burst into the room and told me that I had to wake up and see what was happening on the news. It frightened me to hear the tone in my mom's voice. I sat there watching as the footage was played over and over of the planes crashing and then the horror of seeing those buildings collapse. Then the Pentagon and the plane crash in Pennsylvania. I can relate to the total feeling of terror and fright. I live close to LA and the thought that New York wasn't the only target raced through my mind. This day showed that the span of 2 oceans could not protect us from the evil hatred that many people have for our country.

Berry, I agree with the need to understand, love, give compassion and be open and try to make a difference but I also hope that we never forget what happened.

I was never quite "affected" by it, but it is something that is a very sad situation. The US government knew it would take place and didn't warn anyone, (probably for political reasons) and they possibly have blood on their hands in the 9/11/01 situation.

It is sad because thousands of innocent people died that day. It is sad for their families. It is sad because democracy died that day. So, as I say "God Bless America" I also say, "God Help America". And on 9/11, I will not be a flag waving patriot, but a person in mourning for those people who died that day...people who were trying to defend and work for a nation that would not defend and work for them. As far as America is concerned, the people and the land are blessed by God, but the government, if it does not own up to its deceitful actions, will be brought to justice.

...
[This message was edited Wed Sep 4 14:33:22 PDT 2002 by 2the9s]

You haven't heard about that 2the9's?

JDODSON said:

Don't even tell me it's against the rules to type WTF!!

I remember standing at the television, watching with my mouth open in disbelief!

The horror, the sadness, watching as my fellow humanity ran with fear on their faces. I will never forget that day, it was compounded by the fact that I lost my dog 2 days before this horror.

I could not stop watching the television that day and night...

I was making my way from VP Arts to Biology. This really dumb kid, Joe Perez, stopped me in the hall and said, "Someone flew a plane into the WTC." I'm thinking, "Yeah, okay, idiot," seeings as most of the things Joe spews out of his mouth is complete bullshit.

Anyhow, the news was on in Biology, and I'd walked in right after the second plane hit the tower. Later on in the block, the Pentagon thing happened. Most of the day was spent watching the news.

My uncle worked in DC, so I was only concerned with his safety. He was of course just dandy...

Anyways, the rest of the day revolved around BS theories from my fellow classmates talking about how someone would probably get us, right there in Russell County. We have a dam, which is the biggest on this side of the Mississippi or something like that.

Yeah, anyhow, it's been a year ago almost, and I'm not...bothered by it. The loss of people was great, but, tragedies happen all the time. It happened, it's over, there's no use sulking over it every year, especially those of us who didn't lose anyone...

Edited because I can't spell "plane" and stuff. My bad! Thanks, scandalouslife!
[This message was edited Wed Sep 4 15:20:14 PDT 2002 by BattierBeMyDaddy]

I was at work and my friend who sits across from me got one of those instant e-mail alerts when the first plane hit. We both thought it was an accident until the 2nd one hit. We then watched in horror st the Twin Towers collapsed and followed the subsequent events at the Pentagon and Pennsylvania. Certainly a day where you'll always remember where you were...

I believe that it was a once in a lifetime event which will never happen again in our lifetime. (Hopefully...at least on that scale.)

BattierBeMyDaddy said:

I'm amazed at peoples detachment from this. I'm in LA, nearly as far away from New York as you can get. I didn't know anyone personally who died. But I feel deep sorrow over this. Do I need to remind you that this was an attack on OUR country. Not just New York but America and on the world at large? It was not the American Trade towers, it was the WORLD trade towers. The financial shockwaves over this have been felt all over the world, not just in America.

It will be with this kind of attitude that will allow the terrorists another opportunity to strike. We cannot believe that this was the only thing that will happen. It's time we woke up and realized that the great spans of the Pacific & Atlantic won't protect us FROM THE TERRORISTS THAT ARE ALREADY HERE!! People, don't sleep on this!

BattierBeMyDaddy said:

I'm going to go with Battier on this one. I was in the shower when I found out, my mom burst into the bathroom and said something crazy like "New York is burning down" (my mom tends to be overdramatic about absolutely everything). The rest of the day I was glued to the TV. I called my two best friends, who said right after it happened, their parents made them go out and fill up their cars with gas (remember the crazy rumors going around, and how has gas was getting really expensive in some places, for absolutely no fucking reason except for fear?)

My mom & I talked about it, and I stayed as updated as I possibly could. Then I left for school on the 14th, and I didn't think about it again. I was in a bubble, totally cut off from the rest of the world (e.g. I used to find out a lot of my news from the org... no shit).

Maybe leaving made me a little bit indifferent to it all, or maybe I'm just a coldhearted person, who knows. My guess is that I was not hit directly by it because I didn't know anyone who died... and it happened all the way on the other side of the US (I'm from California). To tell the truth, I think more, cry more, have more nightmares about the atom bombs dropped on Japan. It's not a coincidence. I have personal ties to it.

I am, however, sad for all of the people who died.

I remember thinking, "Our lives have changed forever."

And then about 2 days later, I was DYING to get back to senseless bullshit on TV. Condit, shark attacks, police chases, etc.

Glad we're back to the bullshit. Everything's hunky dory...


... eh?

divo02 said:

I also believe that this was a stroke of luck on their part, of course will a whole hell of a lot of help from our own lazy government agencies and airline industries. No wonder they think we are infidels. They were able to hatch this plot and train for it in American flying schools without any hindrance whatsoever.

But this tragedy is proof that this problem needs to be eradicated. They struck the towers once before with a car bomb and we didn't deal with the problem and they came back with planes. If we still do nothing to solve the problem of terrorism the next tragedy will most likely make the towers look like playtime.

Natsume said:

It's fine to be sad for the victim's families. But there's a line between being sad, and letting a day of the year rule your life. There are tragedies all the time, and not just in America. I don't believe I saw anyone posting about the flooding in Europe and the deaths. I suppose that's not a tragedy or anything to be sad about, since it didn't happen in America, right.

You mustn't become so obsessed with the dead you forget to live, either. Tragic, yes. Will it happen again? Who the hell knows?! Is it any reason to worry? No.
[This message was edited Wed Sep 4 15:37:36 PDT 2002 by BattierBeMyDaddy]

I was at work sanding a hardwood floor, barely heard something on the radio about the president issuing a statement, so I listened to what had happened. The plane hadn't crashed in Philly yet. Ihlistened to the details on the 2 crashes in NY and the 1 in DC and I was horrified. I thought "Oh Sh*t! This is it! We're at war!" I wanted to go home so badly, but our boss wouldn't let us. We just had to get that floor done. Then the plane went down near Philly and all flights were cancelled, all big buildings were evacuated...I got home and watched coverage and cried...i cried every day for about a month...i'm starting to lose it right now...what an awful thing...

a wakeup call, if nothing else

USA-welcome to the rest of the world you live in, no, you are not THE world, you are merely a part OF it.

This type of thing is happening and has been happeneing everywhere else and I cry when I read about refugees, death and intolerance in Africa, Asia, MiddleEast, EastEurope, Phillipines and elsewhere too

Y do people HATE each other?

im really concerned here...the media attention on this anniversary date seems odd...id rather we had spent the last 364 in deep discussion over what happened and how we can prevent it from occuring again...

i almost feel like people are moarning the dead, sporting their red, white and blue and thats it... while some of the people in this great country have been in deep debate (expecially here at the org) i wonder how the rest of the country is holding up...are they looking at 9/11 as another excuse for a holiday? another day for blue-light specials? is it to soon to reflect on a situation so recent? expecially when we dont have the full story, with perspective?

these are the things i will be concerned over on this day...i will not be lighting candles, crying over video footage on tv or celebrating our nation...

i just finished watching that mtv special about pop culture after9/11 i have to say ive moved on...its still very scary and sad but i have to deal with my own life.

Christopher said:

I don't think anyone's is saying not to move on and continue living but it better not be with your head in the sand pretending like everything is fine and dandy.

I just don't understand how we as human beings cannot feel compassion for the humanity that was lost. Here, and there.

I will remember the victims and I will say a prayer for the survivors because they are the real sufferers.

Reflection is whatever you percieve it as. Thank u all for the honesty. Differing views is what life IS. This is where the lesson lies.

My reasons for reflection are because the date is a reminder. What I have been thinking about most is why we hurt others in the first place. Because we don't think alike? Isn't that what it really boils down to? What drives a human to be so destructive?







I also believe in being preparred for disaster, natural or otherwise. When I was little, my mom had an earthquake suitcase packed with necessities. Sounds dumb, but now I think "caution is good, don't be obsessive, be cautious"...

i remember the morning it happened
i logged on and kelley_anne was being seriously inapropriate. she might not have known at the time how bad this was but i did shoosh her ass

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I deleted my own comment Supa, because Berry wanted this to be a reflection thread not an argument thread.

Like most people, my memories were of watching these events on television. One moment stands out in particular, beyond the obvious horror of the attack itself.

There was this one reporter from CNN interviewing people who were walking around down near ground zero with pictures of their loved ones, still hoping that they would turn up. By this time there were no more bodies turning up.

The reporter asked this one older woman who she was looking for. She was wandering around with a huge pasteboard photo of a young woman over her chest. The reporter let the woman show the picture to the camera and say the name of the victim and give some information about her. The woman was obviously in shock. She would talk about her daughter (I think it was her daughter) as if she were still alive and then talk about her as if it was from long ago. She would shift back and forth between the past and present tense. You could see the woman trying to get her mind around what had happened and being wholly unable to do so.

The reporter kept asking questions, although the woman was obviously traumatized; she kept forcing the microphone in front of her face despite the fact that it was clear to everyone that this woman's daughter was dead. I began to get so angry with that reporter. I remember thinking "Why doesn't her editor or whoever stop this!?" It seemed so callous and typically journalistic, if you know what I mean.

After this went on for what seemed like an eternity, the reporter turned to the camera and her eyes were filled with tears and her jaw was quivering and she was oddly bent to one side. And it struck me that, like the woman, the reporter was in shock too. She didn't know how to act or to react, what to say, what to do. Like the elderly woman she seemed stuck in default mode. And it struck me that in my anger towards the reporter I was in shock as well, as if there was this ripple effect emanating out from ground zero.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

so do u support an invasion of Iraq?

divo02 said:

Oh no... please... there are already threads existing that revolve around that topic. Let's focus on the original intent, what Berry wanted us to share... this need not turn into an argumentive thing.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

im not like " la la la...that didnt just happen"

but i dont reflect on it anymore tis all super:)

I don't know if I will ever forget where I was when the first plane hit. I watched in horror and disbelief as the towers fell to the ground.

I don't if I have ever felt such overwhelming sadness. I had a terrible urgent need to rush to my daughter's school and get her, just so I could have her with me - but I did not. It took me a few days to be able to talk openly with her about what had happened. I wanted desperately to protect her from the horror of it all.

I think it is a huge mistake that the US continues to dwell on what happened on 9/11. I feel very strongly we should NOT have a national holiday on 9/11. All the 'specials' that are scheduled to be on TV all during September make me sick to my stomach. I don't think this is how we should remember it.

I think we should educate our children. Make sure they understand why 9/11/01 is an important date in the history of the US. But, I also think we need to move on.
[This message was edited Wed Sep 4 19:24:57 PDT 2002 by live4lovesexy]

Thanks 4 keeping peace u guys!


2the9s~ I'm really touched by your reflection. You reminded me of the people looking for their loved ones...god that was so painful to watch. The pain really did radiate to so many levels. Unbelievable.

I'm also now remembering how connected I felt to others, you know? I remember the candle vigil outside my work and sharing tears with total strangers.I think that if we can learn to stay connected like that then lives were not lost in vain. Easier said than done. But I am going to try. That's what 9/11 means to me.
[This message was edited Thu Sep 5 0:26:37 PDT 2002 by Berry]

9/11 was sad, and the biggest thing was the innocent people who died. That should be our main reflection, on how we can prevent this from happening again, even if our own government did have something to do with it. Then, the prevention would be as a people, to be a little smarter on who we allow to run the nation and world, and to get rid of these dictators before they get a chance to blow everything to bits.

I give just as much credit to conspiracy theories as I do actual presented news media, because the Truth is kept from us either way. It is up to us to believe what the Truth is for ourselves. I like the old phrase "don't believe any of what you hear and half of what you see".

Natsume said:

Sorry! ):