A reflection on 9/11

I’ll start by saying that I was in kindergarten when 9/11 happened. I was a world away in Northern California. So, I’m well aware that my experience of that day was quite different than my East Coast counterparts. That said, I believe 9/11 had an impact on all of us Americans, which is why so many of us can so readily recall “Where were you on that day?”

With that in mind, here’s what I’m reminded of when I reflect on the tragedy.

At a young age, 9/11 showed me that heroism can emerge from anywhere.

I tear up every time I recall the stories of the people in the towers who risked their own lives to guide others to safety, like The Man in the Red Bandana. Or the first responders who drove towards the flames, while everyone else fled. Or the people on United Airlines Flight 93 who ambushed the armed hijackers in a final act of bravery in order to crash land the plane, sacrifice their own lives, and spare the would-be victims of another attack.

Heroism emerged in every corner of the city that day. Grand acts that gained notoriety and “small” acts that will never be known broadly, except maybe by those who benefitted directly. Like a man who worked on Wall Street and stepped up to lead a group of his terrified & confused co-workers across the Hudson River. He was decisive and gave them clear direction amidst the chaos. His impact won’t be known by the masses, and it might not even be acknowledged by those he helped save, but, in his own way, he was a hero that day.

Heroes aren’t made in the comfort of our home. Normal humans become heroes when they rise to face overwhelming situations that they refuse to let overwhelm them. 

Heroism is an act of defiance

A middle finger to fear

A refusal to cower to an aggressor’s act of terror

I also learned that fear only wins when we let it become pervasive.

I’m forever inspired by New York’s collective response to 9/11. New Yorkers refused to let the fear stop them. They got knocked down. They lost friends and family. But then they decided - they made the active choice - to Start Again.

They went back to work. They went back to sporting events. They left their homes and took on each new day. Their greatest act of defiance was that they picked themselves up and carried on living.

As a country, we became united against a common enemy: fear.

Fear is a sickness.

Fear is a disease.

To echo the words of Frank Herbert in Dune, “Fear is the mind-killer.”

Fear is a viral contagion that infects the hosts it lives in.

So, f**k fear and those who spread it.

In the aftermath of 9/11, I witnessed New Yorkers refuse to be drained of their life-blood by the leach of fear. They snatched those leaches right off their souls. And they pulled them off their neighbors too. They reminded each other that “Fear has no place here.”

Terrorists fail when their victims refuse to surrender to the terror. And that’s what happened 23 years ago. That’s what happened at Ground Zero. That’s what happened right here.

Is there any greater symbol of this act of defiance than One World Trade Center?

Ground Zero now memorializes the choice we all face following fear-driven destruction:

Will we remain in ruins, wallowing in despair?

Or will we come together to rebuild? Will we dare to rise again?