Where Were You on 9/11?

The day those planes flew into the Twin Towers in New York City is imprinted on humanity’s Soul Memory. It’s a day like the day President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas. Events so unthinkable, so horrifying, that it took days or weeks to assimilate.

The Monday morning that will live forever as 9/11, was a sparkling, blue sky, upbeat feeling day. I came in from hanging a load of laundry to see, over the shoulder of Greg Gumbel on TV, the first plane crash into the World Trade Center building.

As I screamed for my mother to… “come quickly, a plane has crashed into the World Trade Center…” I watched in horror as the second plane approached and crashed. It all happened in what seemed like slow motion. I spoke softly, “Oh my God! This is a terrorist attack!”

We watched in numb disbelief as news coverage became totally the attack on America. We watched as those on the ground tried to get away, or tried to help those at, what will forever be known as, Ground Zero. The smoky images of building parts and rescuers, ash covered fire and rescue trucks. Firemen coming out of the haze of ash, and when they spoke, ash being exhaled from their lungs. We watched as the smoke and flames began consuming the buildings; watched as large objects fell from the upper floors…learning later that these were people who opted to jump to their death rather than be burned alive. Oh my God! This can’t be happening.

But it did happen.

Now what?

During the 9th Anniversary of this tragedy, there are factions in these United States who have forgotten, that our country was founded on a principle of religious freedom. It seems some Americans are hell-bent on punishing an entire religious body for the acts of a few radical militants who claim to be part of that religious body.

This is wrong. We can condemn the act. We can condemn the people involved in that act. We can condemn the people who are still involved in terrorism around the globe. But we must not condemn all Muslims.

This raises the question: how do we tell the good Muslims from the bad ones? I’m sure they asked the same question during the Crusades: how do you tell a good Christian from a bad one?

The simplistic answer is: all of us need to be a ‘good’ member of whatever religious group we belong to.

I pray to God, please let this insanity end.