9/11 From Abroad

The Falling Man by Richard Drew

I've always been a curious kid. I remember 9/11 more vividly than most days from when I was in 4th grade. I remember walking past the teachers office for snack when I first caught wind of something being up - around 9:30 in the morning. Normally I would have just chalked the commotion up to some kid acting out or throwing a tantrum. Yet I remember the look on Mr Garett, our principles face as I looked into his office - this was different. September 11th is the single most impactful event in my lifetime, with global implications beyond any other event.

After arriving back in our classroom from snack I resolved to try & figure out more what was happening. I asked to go to the bathroom then headed towards the teachers lounge area to see if I could discover anything. I'll always remember the first time I saw a pictures of the towers looking like a smokestack from a partially closed door of the teachers lounge with the caption "Planes Hit World Trade Center."

I went back to the classroom quickly, but also confused. I am grateful that no one saw me - I was sure to keep silent about what I saw. My mother grew up in Long Island NY, both brothers had worked in Manhattan for over 25 years, when I got home we didn't really talk about it. It is possible that I do not remember it, or perhaps it is repressed, but that is the point in someways.

We as Americans do not talk about the actualities of 9/11 enough in my opinion. What happened, how it affected us, how it fucked us up, how it continues to do so even 16 years later. It takes time to speak about tragedies though, there is no correct amount of time. However it is always in poor taste to speak about such tragedies "too soon". That being said there always is a time & I think that is now.

One of the greatest parts of living in the country or area in which you grew up in is the shared history with those people. Nostalgia is contagious - be it remembering jumping into leaf piles, or ice cream after sports games. Having met only a handful of Americans since moving to India & not having that shared history with people; this most recent 9/11 for me was particularly isolating. I did not think about 9/11 when I was moving to India, but I think as Americans it is one of the most important days of the year.

In truth this most recent 9/11 was not terribly different than the 9/11's of my past. With the exception of the 10 anniversary when I went to NYC as I thought it was an important moment in history 9/11 as a day has been largely silent for me. September 11th is on a short list of most influential events of the 21st century & we need to talk about it more. If the politically charged year of 2017 has taught us anything it is that silence is no longer innocent. Even though this post is a week late I encourage everyone to talk about 9/11 more. Make plans for next years 9/11 so that you can be around people & begin a dialogue for others.

Hope this post was helpful for people & let it begin a dialogue for the future so that we may never forget our history or the people who died that day.

Traveling is A Privilege

"I believe traveling will improve your life & understanding of self."

This is a statement I fundamentally agree, I had it as a recent Facebook status. However as with everything traveling is a double-edged sword. Well documented but never to be overstated traveling as a whole is a privilege. It is the duty of those who travel to always understand this & keep it in the back of our heads, especially when we are in an unfamiliar country or culture.

There is without a doubt a glorification of those who are living a travel-centric lifestyle. It does not take long scrolling down our social media feeds to figure out the friend I am talking about. I am first & foremost an advocate of traveling but even for those individuals who are making sacrifices to live this life - it comes with some degree of privilege. As a whole I think people do an excellent job of acknowledging this, a positive side effect of traveling is an increased self-awareness. Mark Twain has a lot to say about life but I feel what he says about traveling strikes especially true.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad

While traveling is surely not a cure-all I do agree with Twain that traveling helps one to see the many faces of humanity. If someone has had the privilege of traveling they should share those experiences with those who have not yet been able to. It does not need to be in a formal way, grabbing some beers & sharing stories more than suffices.

To be sure traveling deserves all the glory it gets. I know for me interacting with travelers, hearing their stories has made me a better person. As a final note, never be afraid to ask an ignorant question, regardless of how silly it may seem. Most recently I did not understand when or if there was a pattern as to when Indians wear the red line (Tika) or dots (Bindi) on their forehead. After laughing at me for a bit my Indian friends replied that it was often a personal choice & not so much following a set pattern.

A few final points about the privilege of traveling that I will expand upon in future posts -

There are a lot of people who do not have the economic leverage to travel & are in the most need to do so. For fear to do so or lack of means, there are many around the world given the chance would travel to somewhere they are not.

Traveling experiences can be very dependent on what you look like or where you are from. Being a white male from the United States affords me a level of security that most in the world do not have. I have done nothing to be granted this luxury, but I would be remiss to not acknowledge it as a truth.

Thanks for reading! Comments & suggestions welcome

-Tim