Contemplative

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Every time I wrote or typed the date today I thought about the fact that today is September 11th.

I am not sure how I should feel.  I didn’t lose anyone close to me.  In fact, I was one of the lucky ones who didn’t lose anyone I knew at all.  I was still sad though, and shocked.  I remember feeling scared, violated… like I wasn’t safe at home anymore.

In the intervening years those feelings have faded in the march of life, ever onward.  I still think about how scary the world can be, but no longer in such a small way.  Instead I think about the terrible things that have happened all over the world in the face of people acting for the wrong reasons.

And so, for me, today is not about September 11th alone.  Instead it is about wishing peace to everyone who has ever lost a friend or loved one to violence and war.  It is about remembering the good things we have, the people we love, and how quickly things can change.  It is about hope, that every soldier comes home, that no more lives are lost here or abroad.  September 11th happened on American soil, but it was a symptom of a worldwide trauma.  We are not the only ones who have been attacked, mistreated, or hated.

So instead of turning inward, letting this day become about only Americans and thus emphasizing difference where none is necessary, let it be about sharing this planet with the rest of humanity.  Let it be about moments of love and hope, peace and friendship, respect and equality.  That is what I want for the world.

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Filed under Change the World, Poli Sci, Sociopath