SMoD&L is normally reserved for book chat, helping indie authors and generally light-hearted banter.
But not today.
What better place to demonstrate the theme of the blog and pay tribute to one of (if not the) darkest days in history and certainly my lifetime.
I can’t believe it was a decade ago. I remember where I was, as I am sure the rest of the world do.
I was at work when news filtered through that there had been a ‘plane crash’ in America. We checked the net for details but there was little information early on. I remember going home and turning the news on and seeing images of the first tower. It’s an image that is imprinted indelibly forever on my brain, carved into my memory for eternity.
We had no idea at the time that it was a terrorist attack and as the day unfolded and news filtered out, I remained glued to the television with a mixture of shock, sadness and then – fear.
Our lives changed forever that day, everywhere.
The next 48 hours or so passed by in a blur, they were surreal. Everyone watched the horror unfold as details emerged of the devastation and scale of the attacks. It was as if the whole world held their breath.
Some of the images being beamed across the globe were just too much to comprehend. How could anybody do such a thing?
Now I am not hear to talk about the reasons behind the attacks, or any other terrorist activity. To do so adds credence to it and validates their existence, I am here to pay tribute to those that lost their lives, their families, the people who were there and remember and the people who have helped rebuild America since, but mostly, the everyone, everywhere in the world that united together and said, “Do you know what? No, f*ck it! You are not going to win.”
You see, despite the intense sadness and loss and the children now growing up without mothers, fathers, aunties and uncles; brothers and sisters, the cost in both human life and the economy etc etc, you failed.
Plain and simple.
Whatever it was that the people behind these attacks wanted to achieve, the exact opposite happened.
People stood together. Decent, good, human beings grew strong. They worked together, helped each other and refused to allow terrorism to win. People came together through grief and anger and forged bonds across continents where before, there were none.
They united.
So when you remember today, wherever you are in the world, however you do it and you recall the motto ‘Never forget’…
Remember this: They lost, we won.
Saffi
PS. A special mention to all my American friends today. The world will remember with you. It is no longer just the States that are united.
Related articles
- Remembering 9/11 ten years later: Where you can pay respect (gadling.com)
- Never Forget: Remembering 9/11/01 – Ten Years Later (923now.radio.com)
