Friday, September 11, 2009

Remembering 9/11

I keep having thoughts about September 11th circling around in my brain and posted them in a discussion forum, but after sharing them with Dany I realized I should post it on my blog too.

I remember leaving my dorm room to go to Intro to Linguistics in the morning and chatting with my best friend Beth as we headed down the hall. We peeked into our friend Becky's room and saw her staring up at the television. She stated that America was under attack.

We both looked at each other for a moment and at a loss decided to continue to class. In our class there was a buzz of misinformation going through the air. Our professor plugged on and we were let out early. Wandering through the hallways Beth and I felt distraught and that we just plainly didn't know what was going on since there wasn't access to valid information yet.

We parted paths and I entered into my next class. The professor walked in very shook up and said that he thanked us for coming, but he knew that he couldn't concentrate and we probably couldn't either.

At that time I went back to the dorm where students were congregating everywhere and the murmurs and tension filled the rooms. I slipped into Becky's room and we watched more visuals flash by on the news channels.

That's where I go blank. I can't remember what else happened that day... as it was all washed over with some water and through some fog. Like a pensieve that doesn't work correctly shadowing parts of my memory.

When I think about September 11th I think about tragedy striking the United States, but also how our country is still filled with a mentality of retribution.

Acts of terror are not to be tolerated by any nation.

Strong lines should be formed in reaction.

But hate? Hate should not be what we take from this day or any other.

It should be remembrance and the realization that we, all humans, are alike in one fundamental way. We, together, are the human race.

Listen to one another.

Learn to respect one another.

Do not let hate and fear dictate your actions.

I had to get these thoughts out of my head as I feel the day surrounding me on this college I work at now. It's an echo of the day when I was a student.

Connect to someone today.

Listen to one another.

Hug your loved ones and tell them you love them.

The beauty, what we remember when our loved ones are gone... are the little things. How they laughed, the way they smelled, and most importantly how they made us feel.

Listen to one another.

Ceasing Ramble.