Inadequate Words for September 11th

September 11, 2012 | by Jason Hanson

I’ve been sitting here for the last 30 minutes trying to write about September 11 th. But it’s one of those rare topics where words will not do it justice. Like me, you know doubt remember exactly what you were doing when the planes hit the towers that day.

And you probably frantically called loved ones but were unable to get through because the phone lines were clogged. I remember the feeling of unity that this country had during the weeks after. Americans didn’t care about politics, race, rich or poor, and you could have pretty much given any American a rifle and they would have gladly gone overseas to fight the terrorists.

Of course, now that it’s more than a decade later, people can’t get along as usual and unless you were directly affected you may not think much about the events that took place that day.

But if anything…

Those events showed us typically cocky Americans that we’re not invincible and that “bad things” can happen in our country too, not just on TV in third world countries.

Also, I remember gas masks and other survival gear selling like crazy after that day. I imagine today that most people couldn’t find their gear if they had to and it’s probably buried in some box in their basement or attic.

I hope you’re not one of those people and that you have food and water storage at home. (I do, including over 60 gallons of water.) I hope you’ve got a 72-hour kit in your home and car and that you have an emergency plan for your family should tragedy ever strike.

Like most people…

I certainly hope bad things never happen, but I have peace of mind that I have done a great deal of preparation for whatever event occurs. Being prepared reminds me of a cartoon I read the other day. A little old lady gets pulled over by the police and the officer asks her if she is carrying any weapons. She tells him yes, that she has a gun on her hip. As he starts to talk again, she interrupts him and says she also has one on her ankle.

She interrupts the officer several more times to let him know she has one in her purse and also one in the glove box. The officer then says to her, “ma’m, why do you have so many guns, what are you afraid of?” And she replies back to the officer, “Not a darn thing.”

Like I mentioned at the beginning, words cannot do justice to the feelings experienced that day. In addition to thinking about preparedness, remember how you felt about your family members that day… how much you wanted to get ahold of them to make sure they were safe and how close you felt to them. I imagine if most of us thought about September 11th more we’d take preparation a little more seriously and we’d pay attention to our family members a little bit more too.

Just food for thought this week.

Ronin Worldwide
It’s a good thing that it’s actually a national holiday or some people would not even remember it happened. Sad.
This is basically our generations JFK assassination.
Where were you and what were you doing when it happened? I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing, as I am sure you all do.
Mr.Freedom
I was disgusted with my sons school for not even having a moment of silence in honor of all the innocent people that died and the heroes that died trying to save someones life.
Not a darn thing.
I was there. I saw everything. I watched the second plane hit. I watched people jump from the Towers. I watched them both fall. I had issues for years dealing with it. Most of the time I would find I would do something very negative about a month before the anniversary. Like start smoking cigs or binge drinking. It has become easier with time.
I’m not a fan of yours Jason. I don’t like what you write or your perspectives, but this was one of you better posts.
jalmfc
I’m 24 now, but I was in 7th grade when it happened. In a sense, I was too young to understand the entirety of the day and its ripples into the future. But what I did know was that some children across the country who were the same age as me, some a few years older, some younger or even some just born, had lost someone close to them. Firefighters and Police who serve to better the world were lost saving people who helped make the world turn. My Aunt was there for the 1993 bombing and made it out ok on 9/11. As someone who is ten minutes from NYC and can see the skyline from the slightest elevation, the day really never gets any easier. To be perfectly honest, I can’t see a plane in the sky without thinking of 9/11. And I would say that even to this day, I don’t fully comprehend everything that played into that day, the “Foreign Policy” that people speak of, the freedom we have that is supposedly at the center of the hatred others feel towards the USA…
My Aunt, who I mentioned, recently became a Grandmother. It’s not too infrequently when I find myself asking “what if she wasn’t here to see her Granddaughter?”If there is one way to imagine what was taken from us, I would say, imagine one of those children today; 11 years without a parent, uncle, whatever relative you wish, is 11 years deprived of a love. I don’t mean to end so negatively, but I think that is the only way to fully remember what happened if we are to really never forget that terrible day.
Doc_Glock
Yes, I remember that morning. I was praying with a friend for a job for him when it happened. We continued to pray, and cry, and pray more; for those people in and around the WTC, and for our great country, and the people that have become apathetic that live in it and enjoy its bountiful blessings. It stands as a very poignant moment in our country’s history. And it looks like we really haven’t learned much from it.
People, WAKE UP, get right, get active, become educated about the issues, be vocal, hold the politicians and all of us accountable, pray to and obey God.
Before it’s too late.

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