I was there. If my boss hadn't called an early meeting, I would have been walking through the World Trade Center from the subway underneath on my way to work. I was lucky. I worked very close to the Trade Center. When it happened a man in our office screamed, "a plane is flying into the World Trade Center!" I turned around in my chair, as my work cube was had a window that faced the World Trade Center, and watched in complete and total disbelief as the first plane flew into the tower. It was fake compared to the movies. Honestly it didn't appear real. It was a clear blue sky with very few clouds and the towers stood tall against the sky. Others from my office walked over to the windows. Nobody could believe what happened.
I saw and experienced many things that day that were horrific. I won't go into the list here but I did lose 35 people I knew...I use to work for a company that was in the World Center and I knew two of the firemen that were killed that day as well A number of people I lost were close personal friends. Six of the people I lost I had known all my life. We lived in each others homes all summer every summer. We were on all the sports teams together. We took swim lessons together. Lost our baby teeth together. We told each other about our first kiss. We were unseperable growing up. They all worked for the same company in the Trade Center. They had helped me get my first job at that same company. I had decided a year or two earlier to completely change careers and left that company. At least one of those friends, jumped from the Trade Center to her death. I sadly watched as this occurred. Of course, at the time I didn't know who was jumping. You would just see the people on their way down. That looked fake as well.
The day was indeed surreal.
I wanted them to build the Trade Center again just the way it was ... exactly. To prove we could rise again. That we would not be defeated by these mean-minded fanatics.
I want the mosque to be built. I refuse to blame all of the Islamic world for a few maniacs. I don't believe that Islam created the fanatics. There are people in this world who will be fanatics...period...it doesn't matter what race, ethnicity, religion, etc. It just doesn't matter. There are people who just chose to live extreme lives no matter what. I don't believe in blaming all of any type of people for the actions of one or so of that type. How ridiculous. I was raised Roman Catholic and although drifted away from it in my adult life, I do consider myself a Christian. Christians have done so many horrific things in our history in the name of our faith (murder, torture, etc.). Does that mean that we are all horrific? No, it doesn't. I would not wish to be judged by the actions of some people who claim to be Chrisitans and claim to represent me. They don't. I am sure the same is true of the followers of Mohammed.
We should be spreading positive things in this life. Love . Caring . Respect . and so on. Let us not give in to fear. Let us not blame all for the actions of a few.
I lost much that day. I will not fully recoup from many of the sights and experiences I went through that day and since. I won't go into all of them today. But l do know that life is short and we should be spreading the spirit of peace and tolerance not bigotry and hate. Let us hold ourselves to a higher standard. Tolerance is one of the things the founders of this country wanted when they came here. Tolerance was one of the precepts the founding fathers attempted to place in this country's originating documents. Let us read them again and instill in our hearts the true meaning behind these words and attempt to follow their lead.
Remember 9/11 but not with suspicion, fear or hate in our hearts and minds. Let us live our lives with love, tolerance and good will.
