I’m sure there will be a flurry of posts about 9/11 over the next few days…and here are my thoughts…

For one, I saw that certain stations (some CNN) will be re-running the events live in their entirety, starting at 8:30 am tomorrow. Part of me thinks that it would be interesting to watch, with a more objective eye - as the events unfold…another part of me thinks that it’s a bit much…do we need to relive that all over again? I personally have no interest in watching the towers fall, and the Pentagon get hit, and all of the people who were hurt, killed, and lost loved ones. I mean, I know that things shouldn’t just be pushed aside and ignored…but shouldn’t there be a better way to honor heroes and remember lives lost than watching it happen all over again?*

Then of course there is the ABC mini-documentary that is under fire right now from many people. It’s too soon, we don’t have all the facts, the information is inaccurarte and it’s wrong to show, etc… Now, I’ll have to see it before I decide what I think…but it’s interesting that it has caused such an uproar. Perhaps because even though it’s a drama, it’s seen as more of a factual documentary as opposed to movies such as Flight 93 and World Trade Center.

And while it is important to remember this tragedy, it’s also going to fuel a lot more remembrance of the hatred and fear that many people felt causing the discrminiation against people from countries like Iraq and Afghanistan to be elevated yet again. Innocent people who don’t have ties to extremist groups or Muslims who follow the peace they seek are going to be seen as “taxi drivers by day and terrorists by night” all over again. Of course, there are those people among us who assimilate and do intend to cause harm to others…but no different than the person walking down the street planning to shoot a crowd of people, or the child bringing a gun to school, or even the other building bomb tragedies that have occured over the years. Which, is also to say, mostly done by caucasian males.

It’s hard to manage both remembering what happened and giving people the peace they desire. It’s difficult to separate threats from paranoia. And, it’s impossible to live now without the constant thought that someone, somewhere, is trying to hurt you. Airport travel, building security, and the way that people treat one another will perhaps never be the same, thanks to the war on terror and the miseducation of millions. Not to say that I know it all, or that I even understand everything…I too feel the annoyance and occasional slight fear of traveling on a plane, and I too notice when Muslims and other groups are discriminated against, and when more and more soldiers are dying.

To me, it’s not that the people who died on 9/11 “gave their lives to fight terrorism.” America didn’t completely know terror until 9/11, it wasn’t a daily part of our lives like it is for so many other people in the world. But, these people died because of terrorism, and now there are more dying in the war in Iraq because of it. Revenge is bittersweet. I’m not saying there is a clear or easy answer to any of this, and I’m not saying I’m right.

On this day tomorrow, and in the days that follow, I think it’s important to remember that we’re all in this together. We are all human - even extremist terrorist groups are someone’s brothers, fathers, sisters, mothers… and while many of the violent things that people do are unforgiveable and unfathomable…without taking a look at the bigger picture, nobody wins and nothing will ever be resolved. Maybe I’m just being an idealist and naive, but that’s what I think.

The strongest memory I have of 9/11, is of being on my college campus and the entire university coming together. The afternoon of, there was an elementary school style assembly in the theatre…and that night a candlelight vigil. Many students had parents and families in DC and NYC who were affected. I remember feeling the strength of so many gathered together in grief, confusion, and comfort. Some were angry and some were sad, and while it was a horrible reason to become one body, it was a powerful experience to all be bound by something that made us all the same.

So tomorrow, through the critics and the good and bad media coverage…just take a moment to remember that although it may be just another Monday…it also represents something much larger. America changed on 9/11/01…and I’m not sure if it will ever be the same.

*On a side note, don’t most people have to work? I mean, even if I wanted to sit and watch I couldn’t…