I was a bit of an older kid when September 11, 2001 happened. I was 16 years old, and today as I write this, I am now 26 years old. Though I may not have the same relationship with a boy I had at 16 to now, I would like to still think I am a wide-eyed idealist. However, I will say that 9/11 made me more aware. It made me lose my innocence a bit earlier, and in a different way than my parents generation. Perhaps, my living grandparent at the time could better relate to this tragedy with the attack on Pearl Harbor. I questioned a lot then. I was very confused as to why someone would want to attack us? We help people I thought? I was very naive both from my youth, and also because I was living a sheltered life compared to the world at that time. Ignorance was bliss.
I grew up from 9/11. I went to college, and majored in something that was unlikely from pre-September 11th. I decided to major in Political Science, and try to figure out WHY this happened. I wanted to understand why it happened, to try to make sure it never happened again. I focused on the International aspect of Political Science. I don't think before 9/11 I would have chosen that path.
September 11th made me a bit more aware of my surroundings. It also made me appreciate my life in a different way. The people that died that day--many of them were just heading to work. They didn't realize they were about to become apart of a day in history--some to be labeled as true patriots. They just got up and went to work that day. It's so horrible that day happened, yet now I realize what I learned from that day...
From the first responders (FDNY, EMTs, NYPD) who died that day, I learned a sense of altruism. I learned that there is a duty and call greater than ones self. I learned that one should put themselves before others, and merely acting in the scope of one's job goes a step further when you realize that you may not be coming home. I devoted myself to a new mantra to leave this world better than I found it. It sounds weird doesn't it? Not many people know I live by it. I may not be able to do something momentous, but everyday, in your own way if you can make one thing better on this planet from you living on it--you did okay. From September 11th, I have a greater sense of community service and volunteerism. I remember in the weeks after 9/11 many police and fire departments held drives to raise money for the victim's families. Children without dads/moms, and families that needed support. I remember my brother and I digging into our pockets for whatever allowance we had that week, and just giving everything we had. Our hearts were broken for the people that suffered--and the oldest of us was only 16.
From the people who died in the Towers, who saved people by their actions or let others leave so they could live, I learned a sense of heroism. Not since days of the Titanic, or other days of tragedy, did you see people give up a spot to someone knowing they would likely die in doing so. Many people often said, don't wait for me--I'll catch up--in reality, they never did. They knew they probably wouldn't, but they wanted them to live. These people were people who went to work that day in towers. They were mostly not soldiers, but civilians and their moments of humanity were heroes. They did not wake up that day realizing they would fight a battle--they woke up that morning as an average guy or girl going to work. I think that's something important to remember. They were everyday people. Carrying their co-workers, or strangers to safety, they quickly became the heroes of that day--just by doing the right thing.
From the awful scenes in PA from Flight 93, I learned a sense of spirit to fight. Flight 93 is perhaps sometimes forgotten in all of this, but from that I learned to fight. I learned to never let anything stop me and to fight until the end. These people were average citizens, who when they realized what was unfolding acted. They fought until the end. So from them, I learned to fight always. Never give up. They didn't. They saved lives.
So out of the awful, horrid scenes, I would like to think to 10 years ago, and how my life changed. There isn't a time when I do not look at the NYC skyline and think about the Towers I had always seen on the horizon, and think about a void in my heart. I'll always remember where I was that day, and I think I am a different person because of that day. I will never forget that day.
So I will leave you with a quote from former President Abraham Lincoln remarking on Gettysburg in the Gettysburg address. Although this was not necessarily a battle, our words do not matter so much as what was done there. The altruism, the heroism, and the bravery.
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