Remembering 9/11
We have a lot to remember from a rather eventful summer, I’m sure, like memories of pleasant vacations and summer outings. But also we are remembering heavy rains and flooding, fires in the Southwest United States, an earthquake, and a prolonged, unwelcome visit from Hurricane Irene. Which is it – The Rapture?? Or more, relatively pleasant days on our earthly realm?? Only God knows, I’m sure.
However, foremost on my mind during the past couple of weeks was not earthquake or tempest, but an event that happened ten years ago. I was in my apartment, asleep in bed, when three planes hit, respectively, WTC Tower #1, WTC, Tower #2, and the Pentagon; another plane went down in a farmer’s field in Pennsylvania after the passengers voted to sacrifice their lives to save many others. I missed the whole thing, broadcast live on the only television station on the air (WCBS–2; I still don’t have cable), but I did not miss the impact of this horrific event on me and others.
I’m sure you all can recall the impact 9/11 had on your lives. The silence in the sky — no airplanes, only the occasional fighter jet. The neighbor who never returned home that evening. The friend, or even you, suffering from post traumatic stress and other ailments. The responses — from Afghanistan to Iraq to the Patriot Act to “See Something? Say Something!” to the loving care we show toward those who, to this day, are still significantly affected.
I wish to remember 9/11 in a meaningful, personal way. However, finding 9/11 tenth-anniversary memorial events in my neighborhood in Astoria, Queens was difficult. Of course there’s the Big One at the yet-to-be-completed World Trade Center memorial, but because of security it won’t be easy to get near enough for participation in a meaningful way. Still, with some digging and help from others, I found and listed some memorial services in the newsletter that I edit for my church, Trinity Tidings.
One of the tenants of the Jewish tradition is tikun olam — in essence, recreating/restoring/rebuilding our world. Remembering results in reactions which then result in responses. Our remembering/response/reaction of/to 9/11 is somewhat like what we may do for events in our every-day life. Hopefully, we respond with something like tz’dakah — acts of loving kindness — not because we have to but because we are happy to do so. But we also respond with security measures and violent suppression of the “enemy” not because we want to but because we have to.
Whether it be tempest, flood, horrific events, or everyday happenings, it’s good to remember where we’ve been, plan for the future, and implement those plans with love — as much as we are able to do so. May the legacy of 9/11 be not one of destruction, but instead one of building up.
Never Forget — Remember in Love.
However, foremost on my mind during the past couple of weeks was not earthquake or tempest, but an event that happened ten years ago. I was in my apartment, asleep in bed, when three planes hit, respectively, WTC Tower #1, WTC, Tower #2, and the Pentagon; another plane went down in a farmer’s field in Pennsylvania after the passengers voted to sacrifice their lives to save many others. I missed the whole thing, broadcast live on the only television station on the air (WCBS–2; I still don’t have cable), but I did not miss the impact of this horrific event on me and others.
I’m sure you all can recall the impact 9/11 had on your lives. The silence in the sky — no airplanes, only the occasional fighter jet. The neighbor who never returned home that evening. The friend, or even you, suffering from post traumatic stress and other ailments. The responses — from Afghanistan to Iraq to the Patriot Act to “See Something? Say Something!” to the loving care we show toward those who, to this day, are still significantly affected.
I wish to remember 9/11 in a meaningful, personal way. However, finding 9/11 tenth-anniversary memorial events in my neighborhood in Astoria, Queens was difficult. Of course there’s the Big One at the yet-to-be-completed World Trade Center memorial, but because of security it won’t be easy to get near enough for participation in a meaningful way. Still, with some digging and help from others, I found and listed some memorial services in the newsletter that I edit for my church, Trinity Tidings.
One of the tenants of the Jewish tradition is tikun olam — in essence, recreating/restoring/rebuilding our world. Remembering results in reactions which then result in responses. Our remembering/response/reaction of/to 9/11 is somewhat like what we may do for events in our every-day life. Hopefully, we respond with something like tz’dakah — acts of loving kindness — not because we have to but because we are happy to do so. But we also respond with security measures and violent suppression of the “enemy” not because we want to but because we have to.
Whether it be tempest, flood, horrific events, or everyday happenings, it’s good to remember where we’ve been, plan for the future, and implement those plans with love — as much as we are able to do so. May the legacy of 9/11 be not one of destruction, but instead one of building up.
Never Forget — Remember in Love.
No comments:
Post a Comment