The events of September 11, 2001, are still fresh in my mind. It’s hard to believe that today’s 30-year-olds were in kindergarten when terrorists took so many lives, and changed everyone else’s.
A few years ago, I was asked to speak to a group of high school students about 9/11. I thought it might be helpful to show video of the news coverage from that morning, as it unfolded on live TV. The first plane hit the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. We all hoped and prayed it was just a random accident.
Seventeen minutes later, our worst fears came true. Another hijacked plane crashed into the south tower. America was under attack, in its busiest, most populated city. Cameras captured it all: the smoke, the debris, the brave rescuers, the horrified onlookers and survivors. Bodies, seemingly falling out of the sky. I was showing the video in a packed school auditorium. I had seen it many times. They had not.
Many of them were visibly shaken, and they began to cry. I know they had heard the term “9/11,” but perhaps they felt it was ancient history. It is not unlike how many of us learned about the Civil War, or the Great Depression. With the passage of time, they had become black-and-white pictures in a history book. I doubt that I was alone in wondering if these events were relevant to our lives.
As the video revealed the images of the later attacks of 9/11, from the Pentagon to Pennsylvania, all of which happened within minutes, we had soon seen enough.
It was time to talk about it. Just like America’s prior traumas, that day was, and is relevant. What have we learned, and how have our lives changed in the past 25 years?
My most vivid memory was on the evening of the attacks, comforting my sons, who were then 14 and 11. They were “big boys,” unafraid to swing at a fast ball or swim in the deep water. But that night, they felt small in a big, terrifying world. “Is our school safe?” “Will the terrorists return tomorrow, or even while we’re sleeping?” “What’s their next target?”
I gave my most reassuring answers. “We’ll be all right. The worst is over. Soon, everything will be back to normal.” Of course, I really had no idea, and neither did anyone else.
It’s never been back to normal, as anyone who has passed through security at an airport or a ball game can testify. We’ve been forced to live our lives more cautiously, with uncertainty lurking around every corner.
If your children or grandchildren view the events of 9/11 as ancient history, make sure they understand the loss, the sacrifice, and the lessons. We’re still standing 25 years later, but we should never forget.
