Summary

The website content reflects on the enduring impact of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, emphasizing the collective memory, trauma, and the choice of good over evil in the aftermath.

Abstract

The text is a poignant reflection on the 21st anniversary of the September 11 attacks, acknowledging the day as one that is deeply ingrained in the memory of those who lived through it. It recounts personal experiences of shock and the subsequent changes in perceptions of safety, particularly in air travel. The essay underscores the lasting emotional toll on survivors and the families of the victims, while also highlighting the unity and resilience displayed by people in the face of such a tragedy. It calls for a commitment to love, peace, and humanity, and is written in response to a writing challenge prompt about the impact of 9/11.

Opinions

The author expresses a personal sense of trauma and anxiety related to air travel following the events of 9/11.
There is a strong sentiment that the victims of 9/11 were innocents who were mercilessly murdered, leaving a void in the lives of their loved ones.
The text conveys that while evil displayed its face on that day, it did not triumph, as seen in the collective response of unity and support among people.
The author believes that the

September 11, 2022

9/11 is An Unforgettable Day We All Want to Forget

After more than two decades, the hurt and loss are still painful

I remember where I stood that morning—frozen in time.

September 11, 2001.

You very likely recall where you were too. It was a moment forever etched in my memory. In my college apartment, as I got ready to head through the doors for classes, live and direct, evil unfolded on our TV screens, into our hearts and lives.

And those lives, our lives are never the same.

Traveling by air makes me more anxious and sometimes makes me feel helpless.

Post-trauma is real for those who witnessed and lived to recount the experience. For others, it was just another day where they thought evil reigned supreme.

But evil will never triumph over good.

Our loved ones didn't leave us that day. Instead, they were brutally taken away.

They were murdered mercilessly.

Lives and hearts are forever left empty. Words, unspoken, love not shared. Dreams unfulfilled.

9/11 showed the cold, brutal side of humanity. The pervasive evil of which humankind is capable.

9/11 also showed the strength of a people to unite, mourn, heal and comfort each other:

Together.

We would never view or experience travel the same way as the need to feel safe skyrocketed. But there are no guarantees. We take the risk and chances we take every day in hopes that we will get to our destination safely.

Today, as we reflect on the loss and the emptiness that still abides in each home where a loved one did not return, may we examine our hearts and choose good over evil.

May we choose love over hate.

Peace over war.

May we choose to be HumanKIND.

This essay is in response to Refresh the Soul's 30-day writing challenge. Today's prompt is: Write a poem or short essay about 9/11 and how it affected you.

If you lost a loved one on 9/11, do know that someone cares about your loss.

Please accept my warmest embrace from my heart to yours.