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.