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| Author: Posted: Sep. 8, 2002 | This Page Viewed: 7,119,831 |
Question of the Week: 76 - 9/8/2002 America 911: One Year Later. What's Changed? Are we Safer?  September 11th, 2001 set in motion various changes in the way that people view the world. From personal tragedies to governmental policies to global military actions, many stories have emerged from that one fateful day. Has YOUR life changed since 9/11/01? How has the world changed? Are you feeling more or less secure these days? Do you think that 9/11 is too much the focus for current events/ policies or are we really living in a different world today? Will the 'war on terror' ever be over? Will you do something to commemorate this day or do you just wish that all of the hype would go away?You can review the original posts from last year's 9/11 Perspectives at: Responses to 9/11 |
| Reponses: There are 103 responses posted to this question. | Reverse Sort |
| Understanding Our Religious Differences.... | Sep 10th. at 11:22:42 pm EDT |
| Danceswitsacredlandscape (Maidstone, Sask, Canada) | Age: 35 - Email |
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Ignorance Will Be Our Undoing My journey has taken me a very long time. Without getting into too much detail, I found myself searching in all the wrong places. I had so hoped that someone could come up to me and say "Hey, here it is!"...LOL But that was not to be the case. It took me many years and to this day, I would not change a thing. The journey has made me who I am today. I accept the many different belief systems and I can stand here today and tell you that our differences make us all unique and we should embrace our many differences; counting them as blessings not hindrances. I also see that there is not one religion/faith/path that is above any other and that not one religion/faith/path deserves any more respect or recognition than any other. None of us has the right to judge anyone for their belief system. What is evil? To me, evil is a harmful thought or action. We are all capable of both harm and good. The balance exists in us all. Too much good can be harmful and harm can be good. Many of us sit back with closed minds and judge those with different belief systems as being evil. What saddens me greatly, is how many of us feel the need to fight and kill over our belief systems. To me, our Gods are One. The Goddess and God. Masculine and Feminine. Every living form has both aspects of Goddess and God. We are all connected in that we are One. Now some of us attach more to one parent than the other. So I can understand how some attach to one aspect than the other. We choose to honor our Gods or God in our own ways and there is nothing wrong with that. No matter what names we refer to them as or how we choose to worship. It is how I see it and how I am able to understand, accept and respect the many differences in us all, including Atheists. We are the future generations of the past, in which we have not learned from. My concern is with future generations of the present. In which we so desperately need to learn our lessons before we end up destroying us all. Brightest Blessings, Danceswitsacredlandscape |
| Quixotic | Sep 10th. at 11:57:16 pm EDT |
| Iggy (Sioux City, Iowa) | Age: 18 - Email |
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I can't use that word anymore. I was looking up it's meaning when I heard. It's silly, but it's my protection mechanism. I'm still numb. I cry when I see the pictures, but it's not the cathartic cry I need. I still can't wrap my mind around what happened. I'm torn between a morbid desire to see every last grisly detail and to ignore and forget the entire incident. Neither is healthy, and neither is possible. I'm waiting for the day when I feel strong enough to look at that day and accept what it means to me. |
| Living The Changes | Sep 11th. at 12:30:28 am EDT |
| Night's Child (Greenwood, NS Canada) | Age: 28 - Email |
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I currently serve in the Canadian Military, and have felt the change in many ways. The day of the attack, I felt non-existant. Everything was surrealistic, my mind could not grasp what happened, would not accept the images I was seeing. I sat in shock at work watching the small TV with one channel, at home I remained in shock as I watched the news that night and the following nights trying to understand why anyone could do such an act. Trying to understand and see the othersides point, and for the first time in my life I couldn't. I could only see the needless loss of life, and I cried as I cry now reliving the event as I write. As a result I served overseas in support of the "War on Terrorism", doing what I felt was necessary to see to the protect of life. The protection of all life even that of those who would see me harm. I truly believe everyone has a right to pratice their own belief and a right to life, but never at the cost of anothers right or of their life. To extinguish a flame out of fear it will consume you, is to succumb to your fears. The flames of other people should be celebrated and welcomed, that their light and heat my illuminate and warm the world around us. I truly wish that religons, regardless of which, could see within their own beliefs and writing the strength of faith and compassion to accept others with out fear or reprisal. No one should live in fear of attack for their belief, but no one should let their beliefs attack another. Maybe its a cheesy comparison, but I believe in the Vulcan (yes Star Trek) concept of IDIC. Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. Our world has definitely changed, our eyes are open, for some, perhaps for the first time. A change for better or worse, that remains up to us. The world is awake to life and its surrounding, do we let it close its eyes again? Or do we go on awake, aware, and atuned to life. |
| Well Here Goes | Sep 11th. at 12:48:37 am EDT |
| fairywm (WA. U.S.A) | Age: 35 - Email |
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i am sitting here watching about that day. but not the reaccuring news but a show about how the communities in other countries came together to help the passengers on all the downed planes all over the world. did we thank them? did we know? i for one didn't know about it till this day. am i thankful you bet your ass. so to all those who helped those passengers I FOR ONE THANK YOU!!! i for one have wondered why the pagan community has not tried to creat a sheild spell around the USA. well i guess it would be hard to get everyone permission. just a thought. how has it change for me. believe it or not it changed my veiw on the men i pick a lovers and boyfriend. being what my sister politely calls and "as***le maganet" i have finally picked a guy who is a good guy. i have told my children more about the pagan religion, and the christian religion. i hear the conspiricy theories but i hear them from both sides. and i think that as witches we should be able to uncover the truth. i don't know about you all but i for one believe in magic and i can think of no better way to help my country then to find the people who are responsible and make them pay one way or another. but that is my opinion take it for what you will i know i will be sending energy out to unmask those responsible. if you want to then all the better. tomorrow seems a good time to smart. Brightest Blessing, till Merry Meet again. |
| The Rose Colored Glasses Are Off | Sep 11th. at 12:52:42 am EDT |
| Tristan (Anaheim, CA) | Age: 20 - Email |
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So it's here now, the 1st anniversity of one of the greatest attrocities in our country. September 11th is a day I shall never forget, it stands out in my mind every day since it's happened. I lost probably one of the most important people in my life that day, my mentor. He helped to inspire me, taught me the joy that I know now in being pagan, and to be proud of it. That its not just a religious choice, but also a way of life. I still remember him freshly in my mind every time I see his daughter. I know that she'll have a tough time growing up without her daddy thanks to some madmans plan to slaughter countless innocent. However I don't want her to grow up like that, having to live in fear, so I'll tell her about her dad. How great of a man he was, how much he meant to the people around him. It scares me though, looking at our government too, knowing that she's growing up in a society that is loosing so many of its private and personal freedoms. So I have to turn and ask myself, how does it feel to look at our country without the rose colored glasses? To know that we live in a society that's trying to strip us of basic human rights in the name of security and the war on terrorism. My mentor and my father tried to help me believe in that system. I hope that one day that it finally works and that congress and the president, the people who say that they are trying to do what's best in interest of the country, take off their "Rose Colored Glasses" and see what they've done to the people living in their own country. I love the United States, I love the state I was born and grew up in, but I don't want to have to fear what I lose because of one madman's hatred of our wonderful country. God and Goddess, Please watch over us. |
| It's Still Home, Even If I Grew Up In California. | Sep 11th. at 1:06:26 am EDT |
| Brown Elf (So. Cal.) | Age: 28 - Email |
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I don't want to forget what happened to my birth city, but I don't need to relive the experience for an entire day on TV on 9/11. What was I doing? I was beginning to wake up and get dressed to take my husband to work. This usually entailed turning on the TV to catch the weather and traffic news. Only, they weren't reporting anything. There was this picture that I didn't readily comprehend in my sleepy state -- a skyscraper, no two. My memory was flipping to find a recognizable image. The twin towers. I didnt' realize at first that the smoke was from the hit of the first plane. I thought maybe there was simply a fire in the building. Then the news captions started to fill me in... None of it truly struck until I saw the second plane hit. My first reaction was, "I thought they couldn't show that on TV!" Then I was overcome with horrible grief at the fact that I just witnessed an entire plane load of people and potentially others in the building pass on... I was not surprised that it was a terrorist attack. It seemed overdue. As many have stated, there are thousands who live in this kind of fear on a daily basis. We're all human, so why is it so special that for once someone has focused their attention on us? I don't think things have radically changed as many would expect, but then most change is a gradual thing. Much like the wheel of the year... Only I'm not yet sure if the change has truly been for the better in light of recent foreign policy events... My heart, thoughts, and prayers lie with the friends and family of those who perished in the WTC attack. Thanksgivings to the Father and Mother for sparing my own family -- we had two who were in the buildings and surrounding complex during the attack. As cynical as some of my thoughts may seem, I urge all who read this to focus on peace and love this day. Let us keep our eyes toward the future, memories in our heart, and the lessons learning at the forefront of our wisdom. In Light, love, and peace, Brown Elf |
| Today... | Sep 11th. at 2:29:19 am EDT |
| Jennifer (Florida) | Age: 26 - Email |
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May those souls who died on this day never be forgotten. May the lessons we learn never be forgotten. May we choose to love, respect, and tolerate those who are different from us. "I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart" -Anne Frank |
| Sirens And Rain. | Sep 11th. at 7:45:06 am EDT |
| Kevin (Ottawa, Canada) | Age: 39 - Email |
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I would have to say that 9/11 had a profound effect on my life this past year, but not in a good way. I have pondered many times over the last 12 months about what makes the human spirit stronger and what destroys it...but I have no answers. I work on the 7th floor of a downtown office building in Ottawa, Canada and have always heard the sirens as the police or fire trucks race by towards a scene. Before 9/11, I took little notice of them. They were a part of the background noise. After that day in September, sirens cause me to stop whatever I am doing and wonder about the accident or fire they are racing towards, about the people involved, about whether or not something has gone horribly wrong...again. It's raining now. The skies are very dark here in Ottawa. Drops of water slap against my window. The sirens have quieted themselves for a little while this day. I hope Americans find some peace, perhaps even an answer or two. |
| Remembering | Sep 11th. at 8:57:50 am EDT |
| Shalie (Georgia, USA) | Age: 26 - Email |
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I would just like to take this moment to express my great sorrow with the rest of my nation. May Goddess and Gods bless those HEREOS that have been guided to the Summerlands and year ago today, They will never be forgotten. Much Love and Blessings Shalie |
| Exactly One Year Later | Sep 11th. at 8:58:32 am EDT |
| Thunder Mouse (Saint Joseph Missouri) | Age: 21 - Email |
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I just finnished wishing the most important person in my life a good day at work, and told her that I love her. Iv told her that a hundered times, but, I got the fealing that for both of us, This time was special. I plan to spend today probably like alot of other americans watching the TV to see how the rest of the world is today. But for the most part and since I have the day off, I intend to spend the majority of the day out doing something I love. takeing pictures. I will enjoy today, and I will remember. |
| One Year Later... | Sep 11th. at 10:02:38 am EDT |
| magdelena (Ft. Drum, NY) | Age: 37 - Email |
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Interestingly enough, it took me quite a while to write this all down. My perspective on these events then and now will probably be far different than many of yours. I was shocked to hear of the events last September 11. My husband called me from his workplace, asking if he had been activated by the NY National Guard yet. Puzzled, I told him he had not – but why? When he told me what had happened I didn’t believe him at first. But when I saw – well, naturally, I was in shock. However, unlike the complete emotional devastation I have heard coming from so many people, I went into a mode that I knew best – the role of the military wife. You hear the news. You understand the news. You take over and carry on. For the next 24 hours I fielded phone calls from friends, loved ones and my husband’s National Guard Troops and their wives regarding their call-up. I gave directions. I dealt with chain-of-command-issues. I allayed concerns and fears. As a military wife – as some of you here might understand – one of the key components of your job (and, yes, it *is* a job) is to keep things together. You have to carry on as usual and keep up strength and morale for your husband, your family, and those around you. You cannot crumple up under "emotional devastation” as there are far too many people depending on you to hold up a sense of normalcy. So why did I bother writing all this down? Simply, because of my position, I was labeled “cold” and “unfeeling” by some of the general public that I came in contact with --- none of whom had ever had any experience dealing with the military. I have spent my whole life connected with the military in some way shape or form. I remember sending my career military father to Vietnam for three tours, leaving my mother to raise two small children in the face of citizens who called her names and spat at her because we were military; I sent a husband and a slew of troops to Somalia and saw some of our friends never return home; now, back fulltime with the active military, many of my friends have had their husbands deployed here and back to Afghanistan for 8 months at a time. Yes, we personally lost friends in NYC…and I don’t forget the friends we lost at the Pentagon, either. Dear friends of mine lost a whole fire company at the WTC. But, I don’t find it productive to live in the past. You need to move forward. How has my life changed? Well, we are back fulltime active duty – indefinitely and by choice. I have eliminated negative people from my life – which has made my existence a brighter place. But other than that – nothing drastic has changed. I am centered. I have my priorities in order. And I REFUSE TO LIVE IN FEAR AND HATE. |
| Remember Loss, Love Life | Sep 11th. at 10:42:04 am EDT |
| Molly Sumner (Drew University Madison NJ) | Age: 20 - Email - Web |
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Today we remember each person who was lost one year ago. Today we also need to remember how important and precious each of those lives was and how precious our own lives are. No matter who you are you are important and your life is important. Today do just remember, but love. Love life and live it, live it for those who had theirs cut short. |
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