In remembrance....

No, I did not forget. I've been thinking about it since waking up this morning.

Seven years ago, over three thousand people died by an act of man even before I had my first cup of coffee.

The world has changed a great deal since. Beyond all the conspiracy theories and political cues and miscues from all corners that's been associated with it, 9/11 is a watershed in history. World history, not just American.

Think about it: The current world economic slump can be traced back to those events. The price of oil is tied to it, the quest for alternative sources of energy was revitalized by it, offshore drilling has become more critical. And look at the kind of overseas employment we are currently exporting__ defense, security, intelligence, and yes arms proliferation. You (or at least I), can't open a paper or listen/watch the news anymore without wondering how this or that would have played out if terrorism didn't take center stage that many years ago. It goes beyond sentiment; it's more visceral in that it transformed the way we behave within the sphere that emerged from the massacre.

This was not a mass killing in Guyana or ethnic cleansing in Sarajevo. It was not civil war in Nigeria/Congo (name your sub-Saharan African country). It was not a pandemic or natural calamity. None of those are any less in terms of human drama, and they reflect all aspects of human pain and suffering. But in terms of immediacy and purposeful execution, the deeds of a handful ofpeople played a bigger part in changing the course of human history than any other group, organized or otherwise, have ever done. While we all accept evil as a thread that runs in the human fabric, this was its head reared in the action of evil men.

Was it any worse than victims of genocide or famine? Certainly not. No one chooses this lot in life. But it's crushing to imagine that no amount of civilized trapping totally insulates a society from barbaric cruelty. This brings home the message that we are all equal, irrespective of geography or physical/material stature. It's proof to the maxim of mice and men, that stripped of flesh and bones, the soul's only true alliance is to its Creator.

If I am to take any solace in my stunned grief, it's in the fact that I witnessed this man made calamity in my matured age. Beyond self-examination, past the seesaw of optimism and pessimism, over the struggle for self determination, actualization, and social acceptance, I grant that the only thing that makes a difference beyond total trust in God is doing good towards others.

Pay it forward, and pray that the rest of the world take heed.

Mon