Yesterday,along with the rest of America,Greensboro remembered. I joined in with the Patriot walk and 9/11 remembrance. We held a small ceremony that included saying the Pledge, the singing of the national anthem and a prayer. Our Mayor gave a short address. The group then walked to the local cemetery for another prayer and moment of silence. It was a small low key affair but the intentions were genuine. We hope to do it again next year. The importance of sharing the emotions of that day can not be overstated.
Thirteen years sounds like a long time but it is not. A brief moment in time really. I went for a haircut prior to the ceremony and the young lady cutting my hair knew little of those events. She told me she was ten when it happened. Mark,my grandson was only six months old. And so, time and its' passage is relative. Those of us that were witness to that event desire that everyone know and feel. We wish to share that emotion. That day will not be forgotten by us, but for those that do not have first person experience on any level, are prone to forget. The difference being, we were witness and to others it is history. History is something read in a book or shown in a documentary. History does not convey emotion, only facts.
Where we should reiterate the memories of that day and events to future generations, we must do so with caution. It is the act of terrorism that we must instill our loathing for. We must not breed hate. It is a delicate balance. It is true that the events of that day forever altered America. The American conscience was shaken to the core. The desire for retaliation is a powerful motivator. For those of us that witnessed it in the first person those feelings are difficult,if not impossible, to shake. Anger,anger is what we feel and it is justified. The thing is we must guard against transferring that anger to our children and grandchildren. The perpetuation of anger and hate serves no purpose whatsoever. What we should perpetuate is awareness. An awareness of the world around us and our need to safeguard our own. It is a bitter pill to swallow this acceptance that evil exists. We all knew it and yet we were shocked and surprised. It can not happen in America ! It did and unless we remain ever vigilant it may happen again. We must do our best to instill that lesson in the next generation so they may pass it on to the next. There are plenty that can say it better than I but this is what I think. Memories are always in the first person. The rest are stories. The stories most remembered all share a common theme, the unstoppable quality of the human spirit. Those are the stories that must be told. Those are the stories that survive through history. Good stories are repeated often and that is key. Do not just tell the stories on the one day of the year. Tell those stories often ! Do not preach anger and hate but preach the spirit. The spirit that I believe exists in all mankind. Some may be misguided and commit terrible acts, there is little we can do. We must remain aware and vigilant in our actions. Complacence is the real enemy. Teach this moment in history as a reaffirmation of the American Spirit. We celebrate the fourth of July, why ? We gained our freedom. We stood as a nation against the tyranny of the King. We should remember 9/11 as a reaffirmation of that same spirit. Terrorism will not extinguish the flame of freedom only add fuel to the fire !
Thirteen years sounds like a long time but it is not. A brief moment in time really. I went for a haircut prior to the ceremony and the young lady cutting my hair knew little of those events. She told me she was ten when it happened. Mark,my grandson was only six months old. And so, time and its' passage is relative. Those of us that were witness to that event desire that everyone know and feel. We wish to share that emotion. That day will not be forgotten by us, but for those that do not have first person experience on any level, are prone to forget. The difference being, we were witness and to others it is history. History is something read in a book or shown in a documentary. History does not convey emotion, only facts.
Where we should reiterate the memories of that day and events to future generations, we must do so with caution. It is the act of terrorism that we must instill our loathing for. We must not breed hate. It is a delicate balance. It is true that the events of that day forever altered America. The American conscience was shaken to the core. The desire for retaliation is a powerful motivator. For those of us that witnessed it in the first person those feelings are difficult,if not impossible, to shake. Anger,anger is what we feel and it is justified. The thing is we must guard against transferring that anger to our children and grandchildren. The perpetuation of anger and hate serves no purpose whatsoever. What we should perpetuate is awareness. An awareness of the world around us and our need to safeguard our own. It is a bitter pill to swallow this acceptance that evil exists. We all knew it and yet we were shocked and surprised. It can not happen in America ! It did and unless we remain ever vigilant it may happen again. We must do our best to instill that lesson in the next generation so they may pass it on to the next. There are plenty that can say it better than I but this is what I think. Memories are always in the first person. The rest are stories. The stories most remembered all share a common theme, the unstoppable quality of the human spirit. Those are the stories that must be told. Those are the stories that survive through history. Good stories are repeated often and that is key. Do not just tell the stories on the one day of the year. Tell those stories often ! Do not preach anger and hate but preach the spirit. The spirit that I believe exists in all mankind. Some may be misguided and commit terrible acts, there is little we can do. We must remain aware and vigilant in our actions. Complacence is the real enemy. Teach this moment in history as a reaffirmation of the American Spirit. We celebrate the fourth of July, why ? We gained our freedom. We stood as a nation against the tyranny of the King. We should remember 9/11 as a reaffirmation of that same spirit. Terrorism will not extinguish the flame of freedom only add fuel to the fire !
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