Comments on: Nine eleven http://owltastic.com/2009/09/nine-elleven/ Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:14:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Bill McEntee http://owltastic.com/2009/09/nine-elleven/comment-page-1/#comment-439 Bill McEntee Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:34:59 +0000 http://owltastic.com/?p=224#comment-439 Very nice work. It caused me to remember my day, too, in Massachusetts. It was a perfect day, clear sky, great temperature. I had just arrived at my office when my partner's wife called, saying crazy things. I tried to correct her, but followed her frantic request that I turn on the TV. You know the rest. I found out later I had lost a cousin in tower 2, and a Catholic priest from my town was also lost. All next week, the strangest thing was the empty sky, no aircraft at all. My dad told me exactly where he was when the radio announced the attack on Pearl Harbor. Sadly, I now understand how deeply such an event burns into the psyche. Very nice work. It caused me to remember my day, too, in Massachusetts. It was a perfect day, clear sky, great temperature. I had just arrived at my office when my partner’s wife called, saying crazy things. I tried to correct her, but followed her frantic request that I turn on the TV. You know the rest.
I found out later I had lost a cousin in tower 2, and a Catholic priest from my town was also lost.
All next week, the strangest thing was the empty sky, no aircraft at all.
My dad told me exactly where he was when the radio announced the attack on Pearl Harbor. Sadly, I now understand how deeply such an event burns into the psyche.

]]> By: Simone http://owltastic.com/2009/09/nine-elleven/comment-page-1/#comment-431 Simone Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:30:06 +0000 http://owltastic.com/?p=224#comment-431 I remember that day in great detail. If I wrote about it here, then this comment would turn into a novel. But broadly speaking, the odd thing about that day is that we witnessed both the worst and the best in mankind. The worst obviously being terrorists killing thousands of innocent people. But we also saw the best in people... not only in our courageous policemen, firefighters, rescue workers... but also in our everyday civilians doing whatever they could to help each other get through that. I am usually very cynical about people as being ultimately selfish, greedy, etc... no such thing as a 100% altruistic act. But on that day, I was glad to be wrong and it made me somewhat hopeful. For a shining period of time after that... we set aside our petty differences and all saw each other as simply human beings. Too bad the glow of that shining period has since worn off and we find ourselves once again tolerating the worst in people e.g. two unjust wars in the middle east, an economic crisis created by the most greedy of financial elitists, a country divided politically, etc. We really squandered away a golden opportunity to expand that "bring out the best in ourselves" spirit into our collective longer-term goals. I remember that day in great detail. If I wrote about it here, then this comment would turn into a novel.

But broadly speaking, the odd thing about that day is that we witnessed both the worst and the best in mankind. The worst obviously being terrorists killing thousands of innocent people. But we also saw the best in people… not only in our courageous policemen, firefighters, rescue workers… but also in our everyday civilians doing whatever they could to help each other get through that.

I am usually very cynical about people as being ultimately selfish, greedy, etc… no such thing as a 100% altruistic act. But on that day, I was glad to be wrong and it made me somewhat hopeful. For a shining period of time after that… we set aside our petty differences and all saw each other as simply human beings.

Too bad the glow of that shining period has since worn off and we find ourselves once again tolerating the worst in people e.g. two unjust wars in the middle east, an economic crisis created by the most greedy of financial elitists, a country divided politically, etc. We really squandered away a golden opportunity to expand that “bring out the best in ourselves” spirit into our collective longer-term goals.

]]> By: Steve Heinrich http://owltastic.com/2009/09/nine-elleven/comment-page-1/#comment-429 Steve Heinrich Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:57:18 +0000 http://owltastic.com/?p=224#comment-429 I was a senior in high school when it happened and I wish one of my teachers had told me to write down what I was feeling. It does seem to get lost as the years go on. I would say being in high school was not the best place to be at the time only because there were kids who needed to know when to shut up. It wouldn't have been easy either way I suppose. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to live to see a day like that where it is "named" in history. "Bay of pigs", "Pearl Harbor", "September 11th". It is inevitable I guess. I was a senior in high school when it happened and I wish one of my teachers had told me to write down what I was feeling. It does seem to get lost as the years go on. I would say being in high school was not the best place to be at the time only because there were kids who needed to know when to shut up. It wouldn’t have been easy either way I suppose. I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to live to see a day like that where it is “named” in history. “Bay of pigs”, “Pearl Harbor”, “September 11th”. It is inevitable I guess.

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