It’s the 5th anniversary of 9/11. What was once another day of another week of another month of another year is now a day of tragedy, of patriotism, of loss, of remembrance. But who owns it? When circling September 11th on your calendar, who belongs in that circle? It used to be people’s birthdays and anniversaries, new jobs and retirements, haircuts and doctor’s appointments. Now who do we think of? Now who owns the day?
Is it the terrorists? 9/11 has been burned into our minds. Every year, we feel the loss of the World Trade Center all over again. Seeing videos from five years past of fireballs erupting through the buildings on impact still chills me to the core. And we know why it happened: because terrorists hijacked some planes on an average day, flew them into New York City and created a pair of blazing infernos. Do they sit in their homes and bunkers knowing that they caused such devastation? Knowing that it was a moral and religious victory in their eyes and a loss in ours? Knowing that they own the day?
Is it the politicians? September 11th has become the justification for countless acts of war in the last five years. The terrorists attacked us on our own soil, so we should attack them on theirs. The terrorists remained anonymous until they hijacked the planes, so we should give up some of our freedoms to ensure that terrorists can never remain anonymous again. There are many instances when people have wanted to act, but had they done so, “the terrorists have won.” Do the politicians sit in their offices knowing that they can distract people through patriotism? Knowing that it can justify terrorist-like actions of their own? Knowing that they own the day?
My personal belief is still that it belongs to the people. It may mean more than birthdays and anniversaries now, but it is still a day to think of the goodness that resides in everyone’s heart. When the towers exploded, people converged. When the towers collapsed, people stood and offered of themselves. When the towers were nothing more than a memory, people made it a day of celebration. It is a day of loss, but it is a day to know we are alive and we are one as a people. September 11th may have its own page in the history books, but that page belongs to us. We, the people of the United States of America, own the day. God bless us all.
