This past Saturday was the third anniversary of the suicide attacks on this country. There was very little fanfare in my town to mark the occasion. I read a few things about tributes in New York, the Pentagon and the field in Pennsilvania. I had a little free time on Saturday and I sat down to do some thinking and praying in reflection. I started thinking about what I felt like and thought during the aftermath of these events. The first thing I remember feeling was shock.....nothing like this had ever happened. And the thought of something like this hadn't was.....well unthinkable. And then I remember feeling very small. This was a huge event, that would touch literally everyone's lives in this country and in many other country's across the globe. All of those feelings combined to shift in to righteous anger over the next few days. We had been attacked!! There were people out there who wanted us dead! Not because we did anything to them(of course they will tell you we did something to them) but because of our way of life. Our freedom to live any way we want to worship however we wish and whoever we wish. I was angry, I was defiant, I wanted to fight, I wanted to see someone punished. But more than that I wanted America to win. It was very clear to me that we were in a struggle and we were loosing. This great nation that I loved and that so many of our forefathers had fought and died for was under attack. We were directly involved in a the struggle of right and wrong, good and evil, freedom and oppression. And we hadn't even been fighting very hard. And then frustration because there seemed to be nobody to strike back against. I will never forget how relieved I felt and how much better and safer I felt, when our President vowed to hunt down and punish the people who did this and anyone who helped them.
But that wasn't the only emotion I felt. The biggest thing that I felt was love. My love for everything I cared about was magnified. I felt the love for my family that I usually only feel while looking around on Christmas morning. I loved my country and my freedom. I would have joined the army and gone out to defend it if the need had been there. Tears would come to my eyes whenever I would see the flag flying in the wind. I loved my fellow man. I would see someone walking down the street and would smile at them and connect with them as an American. I remember feeling a camaraderie with everyone. So much so that anyone who did something that seemed self-centered or self-indulgent were repulsive. I loved my president, I knew he would do his best to protect me. I loved my military, these people were willing to risk their lives for me and everything that I loved. I wanted to do something to help those who had been hurt.
I know that I wasn't alone in feeling these emotions. This nation came together in a way that it hasn't before in my lifetime. And we used a word to encompass all of these feelings 'Patriotism'. Do you remember that feeling? Do you still get it when you think about all we've fought for, all we've won, all we've lost? We should never ever forget!!!
Of course not everyone felt these emotions. The people in the entertainment industry whined a good deal about such a big fuss being made over this event. Obviously this wasn't everyone, some singers/actors are still grounded enough to understand what was going on. The others were angry. They live off of the self-indulgence of others. They are told they are beautiful, that they are skilled, and they come to believe they are important. So when the people, who usually put them up on pedestals, were more concerned about helping their fellow man -- Hollywood became angry. This selfish reaction was a reality check for me. I love to perform and I love to be entertained. I had to stop and look at myself and see if I idolized entertainers or entertainment to much. I had to refocus on what was really important. That is what I think of now when I reminice about 9/11 three years later. What's really important? What is worth loving? What is worth fighting for? The answers to these questions are what we should always remember.
Update:Matt Margolis has an audion clip that you should listen to.
