September 11th is the 254th day of the year (255th in a leap year.)
At least it has been since about 45 BC when Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar.
For those math majors out there (no, seriously math majors, please double check my work…I took Math for the Non-Math Major in college) that is approximately 2,055 September 11ths that have occurred.
Yes, I’m sure you all know where I’m going here.
The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City were horrific and heart-wrenching. Nearly 3,000 innocent lives were sacrificed for the agenda of an organization intent on destruction and hatred.
And nine years later, the destruction and hatred continues.
This destruction and hatred does not radiate solely from a bunker in Iraq or cave in Pakistan. This destruction and hatred radiates from the hearts of people intent on making innocent and unrelated people “pay” for something they had NOTHING to do with.
Here in Maine, there’s been a bit of a fury about many of these issues. See the Portland Press Herald* ran a front-page story about Eid al Fitr, a Muslim holiday marking the end of the month-long Ramadan fast on September 11th. The story noted, among other things, that Eid al Fitr “is an occasion to forgive grievances with others and to ask forgiveness from God.”
Apparently people skimmed over that forgiveness part.
Instead they chose to lambaste the Portland Press Herald via email, phone, Facebook, Twitter, smoke signal, carrier pigeon, etc for running a story about “those people” [sic] on September 11th. So the paper issued an apology the next day for offending people with their “uneven coverage.” And then people wrote blog posts** with their opinions of the whole situation. And then the New York Times picked up the story from the AP. And then political cartoons started sprouting up. And then and then and then…
I’m not here to discuss or break down the actions of other people involved. Mostly because I don’t know enough about the situation from all angles to even begin to objectively review the events.
I *am* here, however, to question this notion of “Never Forget.”
And my question is this:
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE TO REMEMBER?
We can choose to focus on pain and sadness. To rue the cause of suffering, and find ourselves mired in a deep darkness that cannot reflect even the faintest of light. We can start to judge and condemn people for the acts of others. We can blame a religion, stating that their greatest minds have found a way to justify killing and war.
We can live in a world of hate.
Or we can find solace in the beautiful hearts & lives of the people who died long before they “should have.” We can join collectively as a people and say that there are basic human and civil rights that should NEVER be violated. We can acknowledge that through the course of history COUNTLESS religions have TRAMPLED upon those rights, justifying their actions again and again by invoking hand-picked excerpts from their doctrines.
We can fill a world so desperately in need with love.
You know where I was September 11, 2010?
I was celebrating the love of two amazingly wonderful friends at their wedding.
And you know another reason September 11th will forever be a day of love in my heart?
It is the day I donned a 1947 World Champion Chicago Cardinals T-Shirt over my thermal and drove to Rumford, Maine to stand with the rest of my family as the Rumford High School Football Field was dedicated to my Great-Uncle Chet Bulger who treated me like one of his grandchildren after his sister (my Grandmother) and her husband (my Grandfather) had passed away “because that is what family does.” To him I was always his Irish-Italian Princess.
If you want to tell me that I am wrong or biased or bigoted or ignorant or foolish for remembering the day for these things as well as a disturbing and extreme act of hatred that has obviously not taught many people a THING about love and tolerance, then feel free to unsubscribe to my blog and any other places we interact.
* In the interest of full disclosure it is important to note that my column, The Single Slice, appears on MaineToday.com (owned by Maine Today Media, which also owns PPH) and I freelance write for the Portland Press Herald.
** In the interest of fuller disclosure it is important to note that Justin Ellis is the editor of The Signal on the website The Maine Observer where I write FAR too little.
My only question is this: What happened to Freedom of Religion?
I also have mixed feelings regarding September 11, because for the previous 18 September 11ths, one of my best friends was celebrating her birthday. I remember being sent back to my dorm early from class that day, once the news reached us, and finding that friend of mine on AIM to say, “er… Happy Birthday?”
It’s certainly a tragedy, but so many people are stuck on the hurt and are forgetting what our country was founded on: open-mindedness, freedom and toleration, among other ideals.
Tina – Thanks! I was going to include people who have birthdays as well, but post length was not on my side! So very true. I have a friend with a Sept 11th birthday as well, and it’s sad now that she’s not allowed to be happy it’s her birthday because she *should* instead feel bad about the events of the day.
She’s pretty cool, too, so I’d rather celebrate her awesomeness any day!
It’s very true. 9/11 tested all of us, no matter how Patriotic you were. I remember when it happened, I didn’t know who did it and honestly I didn’t care. All I could think about was how awful it must have been for those people in the Twin Towers and their loved ones at home. Are the terrorists douches for what they did? 100% yes! Of course they are, but to say to that whole religion is not welcomed into our country or are allowed to openly celebrate their religious holidays just gives douches like Terry Jones power.
Hate and hurt is what caused 9/11, why fuel the fire by causing more hurt and hate? I’m not saying that we should never remember or memorialize the tragedy that was that day, but we also can’t live in a past where hate wins out the day. Honestly, I would never want to live in a country where hate wins. What’s the point?
Amy – Not much to add, other than YES!
“Honestly, I would never want to live in a country where hate wins. What’s the point?”
Well said, Elisa.
I was at a wedding this September 11th, as well . . . standing up as Best Man for two close friends. And when the towers fell in ’09, I was watching it all on TV while sitting next to another good friend . . . on his birthday.
While the “disturbing and extreme act of hatred” should not be forgotten, we must remember that it’s the ACT that is significant, NOT the DAY. To obsess about the particular date, at the expense of others’ celebration and joy, is completely wrong.
Thanks for an excellent post!
Mark – That’s a REALLY good point. It is important to remember the act and the people involved, not the day. Too often things seem “too big” to wrap our minds around, so we attempt to attribute something tangible that our little human brains can comprehend. Design a ribbon, declare a holiday, get angry about an article. Those things we get.
Big picture “what can we learn from this and how will you make lasting and important change in your life because of it” thinking is just too much/hard.
Thanks for stopping by!