9/11 - 15 years on

[Matthias720]

Fifteen years ago, the world was fundamentally changed. People who were/are against the ideals of freedom and democracy made the world take notice of how complacent it had become. No longer we're we in the carefree 90's but the stark reality of the new millennium. When the paradigm shifted, the whole world was turned upside-down. Since then, sweeping changes have occurred around the world, with no country left unaffected.

Many of you who visit or post here regularly are too young to remember what 9/11 was like. Some of you may not have even been born yet, when the towers collapsed. But for those of us who do remember, it changed the very meaning of what life on this planet meant. The ripples and echoes emanating from that moment are still felt today. No longer as laid-back or self-assured, the tragedy of 9/11 has molded and shaped every one of us in ways we can't even begin to imagine.

All this being said, please share your thoughts, feelings, and memories of 9/11. How has it affected you and your life? Do you know anyone who was in New York at the time? What is your perspective 15 years on?

[Ashleg]

I was born the month after, and I remember when I asked them my parents saying they were unsure about raising a child in this type of world.

The victims have my respects.

[LT Sandpaw]

I remember that day. I remember the heroes who died on that Pennsylvania field. And the firefighters who perished by the hundreds rushing into that first building. And the Pentagon, and the leaders who were struck low without warning. To the thousands of victims who just wanted to live and let live.

We can never forget their sacrifice. They didn't want to die, but they did anyway, and that's a price we can never repay.
Thanks for this thread Matt.

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[Cornflower MM]

I feel sorry for those who lost people at the attack. Not only do they have to deal with their losses in their own way, but how can they move on when they get brutally reminded of their tragedy every year?

[LT Sandpaw]

Its better then thinking the U.S has forgotten them.

[Jetthebinturong]

I disagree. If one of your relatives died, you wouldn't want people to still be asking you about them fifteen years later, would you?

[LT Sandpaw]

I didn't want to have to say this but one of my aunts died in 9/11, so we'll leave that decision up to the people who actually lost someone.

I never knew her. I never got the chance.

But even if I had, your logic about relatives makes no sense; I'd like people to ask and talk about her, and other passed relatives if they died honorably or happy. Better then shutting them out and pretending like they never existed.
9/11 was a tragedy and a war crime, and if you want to come on here and spout your opinion about how you disagree, and we shouldn't talk about remembering those who died, then just note I disagree with you. Strongly. Almost to the point of anger.

I personally take great heart in seeing people remember 9/11 for what it truly was. And the people who died for what they truly were.

[James Gryphon]

The very date September 11 has become associated with the attacks on the World Trade Centers, so this isn't something that's easily forgotten about or brushed under the rug. And regardless of what people who weren't around for it might think, there are obviously a lot of survivors and families of victims, who show up at the memorial site each year, who are interested in commemorating the event. If they feel that they're able to heal better by setting aside some time to acknowledge what happened and what was lost, well, I don't see what's wrong or inappropriate about that.

For me personally, it's strange to look back and see how one event on an otherwise gorgeous Tuesday morning had such a dramatic impact on the world. At the time, as I've said before, I was something like 9 years old, and I didn't realize it was such a big deal. I was more interested in showing my dad how I could change the menu colors on a Windows computer. Looking back now, though, I can see how that point in time marked the transition into a new era. For better or worse, it was in many ways the definitive moment of our generation.

[Jetthebinturong]

I didn't want to have to say this but one of my aunts died in 9/11, so we'll leave that decision up to the people who actually lost someone.
I'm sorry for your loss, but how do you know that Corn didn't lose someone?

I never knew her. I never got the chance.

But even if I had, your logic about relatives makes no sense; I'd like people to ask and talk about her, and other passed relatives if they died honorably or happy. Better then shutting them out and pretending like they never existed.
That's not what I meant at all. Talking about the people themselves is good and nice, but talking about how they died is probably not the nicest thing to do. My friend's parents were murdered. She and her siblings are now living relatively happily with a nice family. They died two years ago, and I am fairly certain that talking to her about their deaths would not make her happy in the slightest.
9/11 was a tragedy and a war crime, and if you want to come on here and spout your opinion about how you disagree, and we shouldn't talk about remembering those who died, then just note I disagree with you. Strongly. Almost to the point of anger.
No one is saying that 9/11 wasn't a tragedy, but the fact that we constantly talk about it prevents many of the people effected from moving on. Not all, but many. You are not the only one who lost people in the attack, and your opinion is not the be all and end all of it. I personally know a few people who were effected who wish people would stop talking about it.

I personally take great heart in seeing people remember 9/11 for what it truly was. And the people who died for what they truly were.

Regardless of what people who didn't go through it or weren't there might think, there are obviously a lot of survivors and families of victims, who show up at the memorial site each year, who are interested in commemorating the event.
...
If a lot of those people apparently feel that they're able to heal better by setting aside some time to acknowledge what happened and what was lost, well, I don't see what's wrong or inappropriate about that.

Obviously there's nothing wrong with going to memorial sites - we all visit our relatives' graves and have some time to ourselves to think about them. Actual people who were effected visiting memorials and graves is a very different thing to having people who weren't making huge speeches, constantly talking about a terrible tragedy and focusing more on the effect it had on a country, rather than the people living in that country who lost people.

[LT Sandpaw]

I wasn't talking to Flor I was talking to you.

And the whole point about remembering 9/11 as date, not on the individual level is recalling how and why so many died at the same time. Like how we remember D-Day or how the Brits remember Dunkirk. Its one thing for a relative to remember a death, and another for an entire country to remember. But this wasn't an attack on one or two people. It was an attack on America as a whole, an attack on our ideology and culture.

Would you discredit talking about operation Sea Lion out of sensitivity for all those who lost loved ones in London? .

And neither is your opinion the be all and end of it. People like you would like to forget, and people like me will remember forever.

[Jetthebinturong]

Forgetting and moving on are two very different things.

That's all I will say.

[Cornflower MM]

Forgetting and moving on are two very different things.

That's all I will say.

Indeed.

I'm sorry for your loss, Sand. But considering that you never knew her makes it easier to bear.

But obviously we are all three stubborn people and I know we'll never agree on this. Buut since this was aimed at me, I'm gonna say something else, and then this thread will have lost my attention. . . .

Its better then thinking the U.S has forgotten them.

Forgotten and moving on, as stated above, are two very different things. The U.S. should move on and let the poor families do so as well. Fifteen years is a long time, and they will have enough trouble on the anniversary as it is. Also, since you never knew your aunt, while the loss is there, chances are it isn't as great. But others. . . . Others had children, spouses, parents, friends - That they knew and loved.

[Delthion]

The U.S.A. shouldn't move on, history will remember 9/11 as a tragedy, it is tradition's duty to remember it for the heroism of deeds done that day.

[LT Sandpaw]

 When conversations get personal, that's when things get angry. And Flor never assume to know how something affected someone.

I maintain the point that if everyone in the U.S started ignoring that 9/11 happened there would be far more hurt, then what's caused by the kind and heartwarming remembrance that takes place on the date.

[Matthias720]

Thank you to everyone who has shared their memories. To anyone offering anything other than that, please leave this thread now. This is a place for remembering those who were lost, and I will not tolerate disrespect to the honored dead.