Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Why I'm Not Where You Are

"Everything that's born has to die, which means our lives are like skyscrapers. The smoke rises at different speeds, but they're all on fire, and we're all trapped."
—Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

if you haven't read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, you should. apparently, the same goes for the movie (which my mom has watched, and which i'll watch as soon as she's finished reading the book). it's the story of Oskar, a nine-year-old boy trying to come to terms with the death of his dad in the 9/11 attacks. it is beautiful and painful and real, and is easily one of my favourite books.

it's been eleven years today since the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City, and there still aren't answers, reasons. there never will be. the horror of that day will never be justified, explicable, understandable.

i was 8 when the towers were hit. my memories of that day are of feeling unsafe, irreparably confused and genuinely, deeply afraid, for possibly the first time in my life. because things like this shouldn't happen. senseless, brutal, nonsensical events like this shouldn't happen.

since then, i've felt unsafe several times. yet none of my fear can come close to that which i felt eleven years ago. when it comes to numerous things that i learned of in childhood, i couldn't understand then what i do now - but that rule just doesn't apply to 9/11. the story hasn't become more explicable with time. i'm still just as confused, and more frustrated than ever at such senseless brutality.

i think about all the families and friends of people who died in those attacks; i mourn with them and pray for them. i commend the bravery of the American people, for their resilience, their firmness in the face of such a vile act of terrorism.

i will never forget.

No comments: