Remembering 9/11

I'll never forget where I was on Sept 11, 2001 when I heard the news.  It was sophomore year of high school, and I had first period gym class with Mr Paolucci.  We were playing tennis outside, and it was a little cold so I was wearing my "Rage Against the Machine" sweatshirt like any decent rebel would.  As we were walking back inside, some crazy guy who I had never seen before was hanging out by the front door, and he frantically muttered to us as we passed him.  "Did you hear?  The pentagon and the white house exploded.  I'm not lying!"
"Ok, whatever dude."

We get inside and every television in the school is turned on to the news.  We see one of the twin towers smouldering.  The entire gym class pauses a bit to watch.  I remember thinking that it was just some sort of fire in the tower, and somehow the crazy guy outside had extrapolated that to mean the white house was just a pile of rubble.  I watched for a couple minutes, then I turned away to start heading back to the locker room to change.

Then the second plane hit.

"This changes everything.  I don't think you guys understand."  Mr. Rexroth told us in AP US history later that day.  We had spent the majority of class watching the news, and listening to the speculation about how this happened, and who was responsible.    I remember being skeptical of that idea, I thought "How could a couple planes change everything?"  But they did.

Sadly, I don't have a very vivid memory of the world before 9/11/2001.  I remember big memories - experiences, classes, trips, and the like.  But I don't remember the feelings of a world where Arabs and Americans didn't really mind each other.  I don't remember how easy air travel used to be.  I don't remember a time when TSA agents didn't essentially molest people in the name of security.  I don't remember a time when politicans didn't reduce every bill or idea down to its most primal fear, and parrot how each idea will bring about the downfall of our society.  I don't remember because that wasn't my world.  This is my world.

I've done a lot in the past 10 years.  I graduated high school, I earned a degree in Neuroscience from one of the top universities, and I've lived in Boston and now Chile.  All of these have been opportunities afforded to me by my country, the United States of America.  I'm very grateful for everything that's happened to me.  Not everybody gets these kind of opportunities, and it enrages some people to the point where they will literally kill themselves and others in an attempt to bring the US down.

What I'm trying to say is, we should consider ourselves lucky.  We are citizens of the greatest country in the world; a country that is so incredible that citizens of other countries will attack us unprovoked.  They hate us because of all that we have, and all that we can do.  And that hatred should remind us of how rare and exquisite our opportunites are.  So to me, the best way to celebrate 9/11 is to take advantage of our opportunities.  Live a full and rewarding life, and help make the terrorists hate us just a little more.

Now if you'll excuse me, a certain Maize and Blue football team just had an epic win over a large Catholic rival, and in true American fashion, I overcelebrated a bit last night.  Off to make some "coffee".