[After 9/11] Some of us learned to distrust, fear, and even hate other Americans of Middle Eastern descent, not [to] mention entire countries that have large Arab or Muslim populations. Some of us have added that fear to the ongoing immigration issues our country faces and have concluded that we should circle the wagons against the onslaught of “people like us.”… It is sometimes said, “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” … I don’t know how you will mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11. But as for me, I want to spend part of that day catching up on the learnings I may have missed. I want to think of my attitudes toward “the other,” — however defined — and examine the ways I persistently divide the world into “us” and “them,” whether it be liberals and conservatives, whites and people of color, rich and poor, Republicans and Democrats.
… while we are celebrating the heroism of so many in the face of disaster, and remembering the lives lost on that terrible day… Perhaps there is no more fitting way to commemorate this tragic event in the life of our nation. —Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson in the Huffington Post
Image via MarySuePhotoeth
the crustybastard
What did I learn from 9/11?
A whole lot about religion.
Trey
It would be great if everybody saw 9/11s 10th anniversary that way.
Adman
I learned how to hate religion and all it’s claims that it stands for something besides an incredibly entitled sense that people need to hear you yammer in your medieval gown. STFU about our country, your “church” made everyone here sick and hateful. tell us that story, K?
Aatis Lillstrom
All of the men flying the planes but one was a Saudi, and yet the Saudi government has done nothing in the way of offering reparations to the families of those of who have died. They are a very wealthy nation. They could afford wrongful death settlements, as well as outlining a public program of identifying the families of those terrorists and why their sons were developmentally allowed to launch a religious Jihad. The U.S. is amongst their best customers and yet nothing was done to aknowledge what part of the fault has been an ineffective educational and sociological program that would lead to such violence. Has the situation changed? Are these “rich spoiled sons” still allowed to engage in violent Jihad?
Pete n SFO
4 Comments only, eh? I guess it’s difficult to process even 10 years later.
I’ve learned that grief is shared & universal. I’ve learned to express caring more easily.
Odd, but when I see the names & all the nationalities of the victims, I’m really proud of this country & think that that shared joy for life & mix of cultures that we all benefit from, is one of the greatest things for us all to preserve.
There’s no such thing as closure. It’s a myth invented by media people. The death of a loved one changes, but it’s never any further than right below the surface. One rogue unexpected thought, & I’m transported in time instantaneously.
Be as gentle as you can be with yourself & others. Don’t be afraid to talk about the people you’ve lost.
Arkano18
I’m not an American citizen and I don’t live in America.
I lived 9/11 in my country, I was attending to a class that moment, and I only could think of how horrible must have been for the families, the friends, everyone who lost someone there.
I’m not American, so I might never get to know how you guys felt. But I lit a candle last night for all the victims, to be reminded that people died, the world changed, and that we MUST find a way to live our lives in the best possible way, not forgetting about the fragility and yet the dignity of life itself.