I was sitting in Mrs. G’s 6th grade science class on the left side of the room when I found out. She stopped teaching for a moment to tell us that a plane had crashed into a building in New York City. I was shocked by the news. But I was young too. That’s sad, I thought, but why is it such a big deal? I didn’t understand the gravity of what had happened. “Terrorism” wasn’t yet conceivable to me.
And then I began to watch the news. I saw the planes smash into the buildings as swiftly as a baseball through a glass window. I saw the towers crumble as if they were made of Jenga pieces. I saw the black figures falling through a smoke-filled sky. I saw people running through the streets screaming, panic the only recognizable emotion in their eyes.
I saw it all over and over and over again.
That’s when the fear set in.
The dream began with me at school, as if it was just another normal day. Then I heard that a plane had crashed into part of the school. People were running around screaming. Where was my best friend? I started to search for her. I couldn’t find her. Please let her be okay, I thought repeatedly. Then someone told me she was in the part of the school where the plane crashed. I knew she was dead.
I woke up crying and shaking. I’ll never forget the emotions that my dream self felt: intense panic, dread, sadness. While I felt those things in my dream, many people experienced those emotions in real life.
And that’s what they wanted us to feel, right? Terror. Unimaginable terror.
So let’s make a choice to NOT feel that. Instead, let’s feel strong, courageous, and mighty. Because we are all those things. Yes, so many photos from that day capture the terror so many of us felt. But there are indeed photos that capture the strength, the courage, and the might.
Fear is an incredibly controlling force. If we let it overcome us, then terrorists have completed their mission. If we sacrifice too many personal freedoms in order to increase security, then terrorists have completed their mission. If we put too much money and too many lives toward trying to “attack” terrorism, then terrorists have completed their mission.
On Sept. 11, 2001 we lost dearly. Let us not live forever in fear, making questionable decisions to compensate for that fear. Because that’s what the terrorists want. They want our entire country to crumble like the buildings did on that day. If we continue to live in fear, that WILL happen.
We must learn from the events of 9/11/2001. That is for sure. But ultimately, we must conquer fear and stand tall. A plane can destroy a building, yes. But it can only destroy our strength if we let it.
Little Fish in a Big Pond 
meredithancret
September 11, 2011
I agreed with everything you said, right up until you said “If we put too much money and too many lives toward trying to “attack” terrorism, then terrorists have completed their mission.” which I’m sure you expected.
What are we supposed to do? Ignore it? Pretend it didn’t happen? Just say “Well shucks, if we leave them alone they’ll leave us alone.” Clearly that isn’t true. I equate it to a group of girls that bulled me during most of 5th grade, they treated me like crap and I, being a pretty easy going and generally nice person at the time, never did anything about it. The fact that I never reacted with harsh words didn’t make them stop, they knew they were hurting me, even if I didn’t show it at school. So they kept it up.
About 2/3s of the way through the school year one of the girls said something about my family being too poor to buy me any “good” clothes and that’s why I always looked so stupid and why I had to hang out with losers like my friends. (My friends and I were all essentially scholarship kids at a private school, my family was poor *shrug*) but it was more the comment about my “loser” friends that I couldn’t let pass. I got in her face and told her to “Shut your big fat ugly mouth Charisma. If you aren’t nice you won’t have any friends. You’re parents may be rich, but money doesn’t buy everything.No one likes a bitch.” It was the first time I cussed and the first time I stood up to her. She ran off and never messed with me again.
Sometimes attacking is the best plan and if you don’t follow through and finish the attack (if I hadn’t tacked that “bitch” comment on to the end) it just won’t have the necessary effect. So, while we may have put more money that is economically advisable towards this war, we need to follow through. Quitting before we are finished won’t help anything either.
Otherwise I agreed with your post. We can’t let fear paralyze us. We have to be strong in the face of terrorism.
Grace
September 11, 2011
You go, Meredith!! I’m sorry you were bullied, but you sure told that girl off. “No one likes a bitch”…hahaha, I like that line 🙂 anyway, I definitely see what you’re saying, which is why I said TOO much money and TOO many lives, etc. etc. Some sort of action was necessary after 9/11…the issue is not whether action should have been taken or not. The issue is what kind of action and to what extent. In my opinion, the US didn’t go about taking action in the right way. We dug ourselves deeper and deeper and then had to pull ourselves out and in the process used up more money and lost more lives than necessary. The Taliban KNEW we would retaliate, and I can only imagine that they are pleased at the state of our country right now…it is an extremely complicated situation, though. I’m aware of that. I’m glad you agree with the rest of the post though!
jackcurtis
September 11, 2011
The Moslem multitude has lain quiescent and stultified on the world stage while the Christian West bounded ahead on its burgeioning wealth and technology. Now the West has abandoned its Christianity and is abandoning its wealth through profligacy and the Moslems are stirring. They don’t like the West much, though they envy it.
Was 9/11 a signpost toward something slouching toward the West to be born again? Hell, damfino. But our response so far is the further weakening of our own society, harping on security while our economy (our real security) continues downhill while we pretend we can spend ourslves rich.
The Moslems don’t need to do more; we’re doing it for them…
Grace
September 12, 2011
I love your last line “The Moslems don’t need to do more; we’re doing it for them”. I completely agree. It’s a sad truth.