Sunday, September 15, 2002

 
THE MONDAY MISSION.
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1. Where were you and what was happening in your life the moment when you first became aware of what was happening at the World Trade Center in New York City last September 11th? What was the first thing you did when you heard the news?
I actually slept through it. The first thing I always did every morning when I woke up, back then, was turn on my TV to NY1. I turned it on, about a minute after the second tower fell, to hear the anchor say "The World Trade Center is no more." Stunned, I got up and ran to my balcony, which used to have a fantastic view of the two tallest towers of the WTC. I saw a giant plume of smoke, and all my neighbors watching from their balconies. I got dressed, and went downtown, and took these amazing pictures.

2. When those truly responsible for the attack are apprehended, what do you think would be the most fitting form of justice?
I see what this question is getting at. I don't believe in the death penalty, but I'll certainly grant that this would be as justified a case as there could ever be for its use, assuming there was absolutely no question as to the guilt of the people apprehended. Still, it does seem rather "unchristian" of us to do God's job for Him, and to allow no possibility of forgiveness.

3. This will probably be much like when our parents respond to "Where were you when JFK was shot?"- an event never forgotten by those who were there. But how do you think the history books should present the 9-11 attacks? Should it be included for all future generations? How can we truly convey the shock, the outrage, the emotions and pain of that day to the children of our children?
For most Americans, "the shock, the outrage, the emotions and pain of that day" were all experienced while sitting in front of a television set. The events of that day were probably better documented than any other in the history of humankind. So, you know, just sit your kids in front of a TV set with a tape of the news coverage from that day, and I'm pretty sure they'll get the gist of it.

4. No one in that building, in the Pentagon, or on the planes (other than the terrorists) knew that 9-11 would be their last day to be alive. For me, it brought home the reality that I could be gone at anytime, without any warning. Now, I really want each day to have some value. Did the events of 9-11 bring about a change in the way you live your life?
I had the opposite reaction. Living in New York, a short distance from the World Trade Center, and experiencing the frequent warnings of possible terrorist attacks on various weekends, I had to decide to ignore the chance that I might die any day, and just live my life the way I always had. Thinking about each day as if it might be my last would be really paralyzing, because just being alive in New York carried with it real perceived risks at the time, that could have been minimized by taking paranoid precautions. I did not want to live like that.

5. Several who loved to fly in planes will not step foot in one anymore. Many parents are more protective of their children. A year later, do you find yourself feeling more secure than back then? Or is it just a matter of time before something else happens?
I always felt it was just a matter of time, before that. Living for three years almost exactly in between Wall Street and Times Square, I always used to wonder which direction I'd be looking from my balcony when I saw that inevitable mushroom cloud engulf the city.

6. The best way for me to honor the those impacted by the attack will be to refrain from any media that day. No papers, no radio and especially no television. Others will light candles, and others will attend special services. What, if anything, will you do to personally reflect on the tragedy?
See my previous blog entry about what I actually did that night.

7. One of the visuals that touched me the most were the walls and walls full of hand made "Missing" posters. What image will you always have in your mind when you recall the events of 9-11?
Absolutely, that is one of the most potent images of the time. I don't know what the impression was of seeing that on television, but I had to walk at least three quarters of a mile to get anywhere for almost a week, because the roads were closed all around me, and those posters were on practically every lamppost and every block, and near the hospitals they went on and on and on covering all the walls of the hospital and every inch of wall space for at least a block in every direction. At first, when the news media were talking about air pockets and such, and when survivors were still turning up for a few days, I figured that many of these people would be found. The last survivor was rescued Thursday September 13. Saturday morning, I woke up, still thinking that many of the faces on the posters would soon be reunited with their families. At some point during the day on Saturday, I realized that these posters had been transformed into strange memorials for the dead. For months, thousands of different faces stared at me from beyond death, often pictured graduating or at their own weddings (since those are many people's most recent photographs), with weirdly personal identifying information, such as birthmarks, scars, or tattoos. It was eerie and very sad, and I often got a little weepy when I walked past them.

BONUS: Who's gonna come around when you break?
Better send the meat wagon.

This is The Official Record. 10:33 PM
link to this item: http://www.creamy.com/blog/2002/09/monday-mission.html


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