I miss the country and world that was...for such a short time...and what could have been.
We had the opportunity for greatness and we chose (or leaders chose) vengeance, Islamophobia, enriching defense contractors, destabilizing the Middle East, concentrating power in the executive, committing war crimes, and limiting American civil liberties.
Thank you for sharing this. Especially now, I want to remember how we embraced in a nano second the part of human nature that wants to help, care for, and love our fellow human beings. In the face of insanity, Americans reached out to each other in a million stories of heroic acts and caring. May we find that again, but without the destruction. May we help each other now through the rubble of corrupt politics and name calling. May we deeply connect with the DNA that longs to love one another.
The day after the towers went down I volunteered to work at Ground Zero with the firefighters for 4 weeks. I watched them work tirelessly, relentlessly looking for survivors. Oftentimes they would pass out on the curb for a quick nap. The depth of their snores was like cellular-level exhaustion. For weeks after Sept 11, I saw people looking at each other, reaching out to help, sitting next to one another on the subway. On that very subway, I would cry after every shift. I couldn't believe people would actively sit next to me and just talk, share what's on their mind. No masking, no poker face. I would think, why the hell didn't we always do this? What a terrible but beautiful time.
I miss the country and world that was...for such a short time...and what could have been.
We had the opportunity for greatness and we chose (or leaders chose) vengeance, Islamophobia, enriching defense contractors, destabilizing the Middle East, concentrating power in the executive, committing war crimes, and limiting American civil liberties.
It was the beginning of America's decline.
Thank you for sharing this. Especially now, I want to remember how we embraced in a nano second the part of human nature that wants to help, care for, and love our fellow human beings. In the face of insanity, Americans reached out to each other in a million stories of heroic acts and caring. May we find that again, but without the destruction. May we help each other now through the rubble of corrupt politics and name calling. May we deeply connect with the DNA that longs to love one another.
yes yes yes to all of this
Absolutely beautiful.
The day after the towers went down I volunteered to work at Ground Zero with the firefighters for 4 weeks. I watched them work tirelessly, relentlessly looking for survivors. Oftentimes they would pass out on the curb for a quick nap. The depth of their snores was like cellular-level exhaustion. For weeks after Sept 11, I saw people looking at each other, reaching out to help, sitting next to one another on the subway. On that very subway, I would cry after every shift. I couldn't believe people would actively sit next to me and just talk, share what's on their mind. No masking, no poker face. I would think, why the hell didn't we always do this? What a terrible but beautiful time.
🙏