On 9/11 Anniversary, a thought came to mind as I watch all the tributes to the firemen and police who died in that tragic situation, and others who worked or were visiting who died on that fateful day. One this is for sure, it was tragic. And, I feel for every one of the people who died, whether attempting to do their job as firemen to rescue the trapped, or those other innocent people who died in the fire and the crumbling building. However, what I do not understand is why are we having such great tributes for those who died on 9/11 only, and not for those who died in Oklahoma, the Boston Marathon, the numerous bombings of the embassies in various countries over the last 40 years, the PSA Jet Crash in the 70s, or the 200,000+ from the massive Tsunami, or the thousands from Chernobyl or Fukushima, or the thousands of innocents at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For that matter, each and every day, theres a policeman, a fireman, an good samaritan who comes to the aid of someone in trouble, all of whom die daily. And, each and every day, body bags arrive from Afghanistan and Iraq, carrying young men and women. Daily, in the oncology wards of many hospitals, people, young and old, succumb before their time, after valiant struggles. All of them are Innocent and die before their time, leaving families and friends behind, asking the same question, WHY? And, they were all equally beautiful and innocent people. So why do we isolate and hold the victims of 9/11 separate with special memorials sites, and hold special memorials? Why do we not do the same for ALL of these other innocent people and remember them too? Is it the magnitude of the event? The Tsunami was far greater magnitude in the lives lost. Is it the horrificness of the event? Firemen die daily being burnt alive, or policemen being shot, or lifeguards drowning, all being quite horrific for the individual. Is it what the event represents in its effect on the country, humanity or each of us, etched deeply in our minds? I feel every life is a LIFE. Each has a past and a future. Each has a family and friends. Each died in a tragic event. Yet, we separate some incidents to be remembered and others to simply fade from out minds. Will the 9/11 too, despite all our efforts to never forget, be forgotten some day? Replaced by tragedies that are much fresher in our minds, much more gruesome, or much larger than 9/11? On this day, I cannot help but look at some of the faces of those who have died during the holocaust, in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Tsunami, Hiroshima, and other places and other times and feel humbled, thankful and sad. I honor each and every death that was premature. Wasteful. Innocent. May each of you Rest In Peace!! Just a thought!!
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 15:38:21 +0000
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