9-11-16: 15 Years Later

[legalboxers]

What is a day.. 5479 Days....

What is a year.. 5 Years..10 Years..

15 Years of Tears...

15 Years of Pain...

15 Years of Sorrow...

A birth.. A Renewal.. A Hope..
An Anniversary.. A Remembrance..
An Engagement.. A Start of something...
A Special Occasion... A Memory...

What is a day about
To celebrate a birth...
To celebrate a life...
to celebrate a new beginning..
to remember..
to reflect....

To Pray..

Pray for the lost.

Pray for those who have lost..

Pray for those who grieve.

Pray for those who are grieving..

Pray for Hope....

What is a number... What does the number Mean...
2753 - Lives Lost....
343 - NYFD
23 - NYPD
37 - PAPD

What is time...
8:46 AM
9:03 AM
9:37 AM
9:58 AM
10:28 AM

Why is time important...

Why did time stand still.....

What is Time...5 years.. 10 years.. 15 Years....
Time to smile..
time to laugh..
time to cry...
time to remember..
time to pause and reflect...

Time...

What is missing on this day... This day of 15 years....
A Mother..
A Father..
A Step Mother..
A Step Father..
A Sister..
A Brother..
An Aunt..
An Uncle
A Godmother..
A Godfather..
A Wife..
A Husband..
A Child..
A Friend..

What is special about the person who is missing.. 15 years...
a laugh.. which hasn't been heard...
a cry... Which hasn't been seen...
a hug.... Which hasn't been felt...
a smile.. Which hasn't lit up a room....

What do we do in time...What have we done and seen.. in 5 years... 10 years... 15 Years...

We remember.. 5 years... 10 years.. 15 years.....
we heal..

On this day.. We Remember.. 15 Years Later...
A Mother.....
A Father
A Step Mother..
A Step Father..
A Sister..
A Brother..
An Aunt..
An Uncle
A Godmother..
A Godfather..
A Wife..
A Husband..
A Child..
A Friend..

We Never Forget...
Their laugh..
Their cry..
Their hug..
Their smile..

And most Importantly.. WE NEVER WILL EVER FORGET September 11TH, 2001.

[SammyGurl]

Thank You, that was beautifully written it touched my heart to its core brings tears to my eyes thinking about the individual tragedy and sacrifice in the face of evil.

Where was I, four years old and sleeping it's three hours later on the west coast. After waking, I knew there was something very wrong. I sort of remember bits and pieces of that morning, it wasn't just any morning. I remember my Mom's tears, wondering why when my own come I finally understand. As I was getting ready for pre-school I understood something bad was happening. I remember a sad feeling all day.

[SammyGurl]

Thank You!!

[Rawrzz]

Yeah, I really don't give a fuck about 9/11. I was in middle school. Particularly since we don't *really* know if it was terrorists or our own government or some other government or whatever. 3,000 deaths. That's really insubstantial, particularly considering how many people die from drug overdoses or homicide in the U. S. I dare say we, as a culture, mourn the buildings more than the lives lost. Or just the notion of "We can kill our own people, but no one else can."

With a vague approximation, 241,815 people have been murdered in the United States since 9/11. What makes those 3,000 so special?

[renogaza]

*cough* jetfuel can't melt steel beams *cough*

we should honor and remember those who died but we should also remember how full of sh*t this tragedy was and how it was a trigger created by the US government to incite war in the hearts of the American people.

THIS is what I'll NEVER Forget.

[renogaza]

i wanted to post this yesterday, but i decided to only today to give people time to mourn, so don't think i'm cold or heartless, i'm just not as gullible as the people who believe the government so easily.

[renogaza]

2 people are butthurt about the truth, too bad so sad.. i can't be bothered to be patriotic and much rather enjoy being treasonous because i get to see the world for what it really is, not to be blinded by the bullsh*t propaganda that every country in the world gleefully shoves in everyones throats

[renogaza]

i believe i am treasonous not because i'm some kind of terrorist or anything but because i do not blindly follow my country like everyone else does with theirs and see the true nature and intentions of the governments of the world, for example my country loved our president rodrigo duterte, but even before the elections i knew he was very bad news, nobody listened to me and now we are beginning to face the consequences of his arrogance, people blindly follow propaganda like its a heaven sent message from the messiah or some bs, but i refuse to be influenced by the bullshit of the world, this is why i pursue the truth of history with such passion, and why i always know who the bad candidates are before the elections even begin, open your eyes and see the world for what it really is.

[Nothanks700]

The US government has no motive, and in fact it would be quite counter productive to destroy the financial centers of its country. A more plausible conspiracy is that weapons manufacturers orchestrated this- and even that is a stretch. People who believe the US did this are illogical morons, that makes literally no Sense.

[Noxifer626]

Indeed, today, the eleventh day of September, something terrible happened.
In 1973. The democratically elected government of Salvador Allende in Chile, which had nationalized the copper industry, improved the rights of the working class and redistributed wealth, was taken down in a violent coup that was orchestrated and supported by the United States of America and several private companies of that country.
en.wikipedia.org/.../1973_Chilean_coup_d'%C3%A9tat

[Callieeee]

Yeah we'll forget it eventually, just like countless other tragedies no one even knows about unless they reread a history book. Who looks back on Pearl Harbor and says "man, that really hits home."? Nobody. We are generations removed from that awful happening. Give it another 50 years and I'm sure people will give a similar amount of fucks about 9/11 as they do about Pearl Harbor today.

How and why? Because of the two great anesthetics, death and time. And through them all is forgotten.

[Nothanks700]

Umm yeah.. What's your point? You go ask your grandparents about Pearl Harbor, and they will very likely talk about it like we talk about 9/11 (or at least how I do). You're 19, so that would make you around 4 at the time it happened. I was 11 when it happened, and I remember it carry vividly. It is important to those of us that were there, regardless of its importance to future generations.

[Callieeee]

@Nothanks700 I guess the point is that we don't have to act like this is a forever open wound, one that we can conveniently throw salt in when we want to feel bad for murica or justify our wars. The Pragmatism of the phrase, "let's move on" is the alkaline that balances the acidity of this mytake that wants you to dwell on the darkest of times. That doesn't help anyone.

And it's just a fact, like history becomes legend becomes myth, no one far into the future will ever know or care about what happened on 9/11. I'm not saying we have to forget the lesson, because whatever you can take away from that tragedy is knowledge that existed long before 2001. I propose we push aside all the rhetoric and tears and tell ourselves to move on.

[Nothanks700]

That is beyond ridiculous. There is a chasm of difference between history that we read, and history that we live. It's incredibly insensitive to say that America, and especially the people that lost loved ones, should just move on. Does it justify wars? No, and it didn't back then. You are just not going to understand it until something like this happens when you aren't 4 and have no idea what's happening anyways. Even for an 11 year old, it was terrifying. The country thought war had finnaly been brought to us; it sounds dramatic, but at the time people didn't know if an attack like that would completely destroy us. were more attacks coming? I just don't think you get it right now.

[Callieeee]

@Nothanks700 I do get it, terrifying, heartbreaking, infuriating, all those adjectives and more no doubt, but I'm not attacking the legitimacy of those emotions on 9/11/2001, I'm talking about now. It's been 15 years and those initial emotions aren't there anymore. No one has maintained the same level of emotion for 15 years as they had on the day of the attack. If they did they need serious help because they're failing to cope and move on.

Think about a loved one who's died, you don't feel as sad years later as you did at the funeral because that's what's supposed to happen. Emotionally over time you push forward and overcome, not dwell on it and sit in that sadness and anger for a decade and a half. That's what mentally stable people do, and That's what we as a nation need to do with 9/11. I guess I should say that letting go is different than forgetting in an immediate sense, letting go is what we actively should be doing right now, forgetting is the inevitable result.

[BeeNee]

My aunt died when I was 8 years old, and I'm 33 now, and I still think about her from time to time during the year. Just because something happened in the past doesn't mean people don't ever think about it or share the memories from time to time. You were very young when it happened. I was your age when Sept. 11 happened and the memories of that day and what came to follow are so seared into my brain, and just like thoughts of my aunt, they serve as a reminder, in fact, a lesson of horrors of the past, that I intend to share with younger generations when they ask, what was September 11th, the same way I've asked countless adults about countless historical events that happened in their generation. You want to just move on, but every day practically there is another reminder that because of those events that day, we now fly differently, we're under surveillance, terrorism is front and center, it's on the political trail, it's everywhere b/c of that day and many other things.

[BeeNee]

We can't live in a bubble where we just pretend this all didn't happen. Just this past week there were I believe two terrorist attacks stopped by police... again, yet another reminder that 2001 isn't dead and gone, it's very much a part of what is happening now. Same group of people and you and I and everyone else could very well be targets. I think the only thing is you can't let it paralyze your life. You do have to live in the here and now, yes, but trying to pretend it didn't happen solves nothing. Yes, that old saying, those that ignore their history are doomed to repeat it.

[Callieeee]

@BeeNee I agree for the most part, the LESSON of 9/11 shouldn't be forgotten. staying vigilant of terrorists and all that is important, but it seems to me that that is the smallest part of what people focus on when they "remember 9/11". instead they Show videos of people burning, screaming, jumping off skyscrapers and say "never forget".

It's the same as someone watching a snuff clip of their spouse in order to keep that anguish and hatred burning inside, or even Christians watching passion of Christ to keep their guilt fresh in mind. You don't have to visit the fucking holocaust museum to remember genocide isn't a good thing, or at least I don't.

If people want to remember a lesson they've learned from history that's great, but dwelling on the gruesome act itself and using it to justify war and hatred and suspicion of people who had nothing to do with it isn't and if that's all people remember it for, than yes I'd rather it be forgotten altogether.

[BeeNee]

But you, having been so young on 9/11 and myself and lots of other people not even being born when the Holocaust happened are the very reason those memorials, and those museums, and those pictures exist to serve as a reminder for those that were there, and to teach those in the future what it was like. We are people who don't believe anything we're told, we have little trust. There are people who didn't believe we'd been to the moon UNTIL they'd seen pictures and videos. It's one thing to say something bad happened, and another to bear witness as we all are to history. It's not to say you should visit every weekend to remember, but it is for you and me and everyone else to have that experience, to know it, and to take with it the lessons we can.

[BeeNee]

You cannot control the message people take away from the experience, so not everyone is going to get "the right message" and not everyone is going to come away learning anything, but you do reach some people, and those people grow to understand that we cannot treat people poorly, or kill people just because we don't agree with them, and a whole host of other lessons. You show people how bad it can be when we ignore the lessons these moments have taught us, and then from there, each generation can move forward in the way they see fit. As much as perhaps you want to, you cannot erase history or like I said, pretend it didn't happen to suit your own narrative. That's precisely what we don't want to happen, so each year, they will play the video, and someone not born, or very young will see how and why we are where we are now, and maybe it will help them to better understand fully how they can prevent or protect or live their lives.

[Callieeee]

@BeeNee ideally, I can't see a problem with that. That'd be great if all we did was use it as a proof of what we're capable of and a reminder to never do it again. But what is ideal and what is actually happening are not the same. It's becoming propagandized, glorified, made into a rally cry against whoever you can misrepresent as a potential terrorist. It's not just a reminder anymore, it's a constant reminder that's breeding hatred.

As for being doomed to repeat, think of this. Adolf hitler made many propaganda speeches. Germany was in a state of ruin after their own tragedies and war, and he found people to blame for it. He twisted together speeches of hatred and said to people "look at this! THIS happened because of THEM! You need to be suspicious of them and they're ways!"

Think it's a stretch of the imagination? Germany was a civilized, 1st world country. Hitler was elected president. He spewed hatred, people listened, holocaust was the end result.

[BeeNee]

I understand your point, I truly do, but even if we stopped showing any and all footage of 9/11, hatred and terrorism and propaganda existed before that date, and they will exist afterward. Any person who wants to spew hatred and turn others against one another will find a way to do that, however, do you know how many people have been exposed to this footage or experienced the day themselves, and never use it as a means for promoting hatred of others. A lot of people.

We can comb through dozens of terrible historical tradgedies and you will always find the same... people who use the moment to promote change, or love, and those that use it to promote hate and negativity. Hopefully, we, as witnesses to these historical moments will be the former.

[Callieeee]

@BeeNee hopefully we'll just watch Care Bears and have world peace. it only takes a few to promote hatred, the rest just have to listen and cast their ballots.

[Saoirse_Nua]

Great take - Keeping it personal - Lots of people directly touched

[ThisDudeHere]

Not to be the ass here, but how many died from the US invasions in the middle East since then?

[Callieeee]

An excellent point

[Jayded1]

August 6 and 9, 1945 are days we seem to have forgotten. The US gets attacked and 2000 people die, it is remembered as the like the worst thing is the history of the world. The US bombed Japan and killed around 120,000 innocence, that is quietly forgotten.

[Ahmed_Sy15x]

also US troops murdered many people in Afghanistan and Iraq, and no one gives a single shit

[Rawrzz]

Everyone here seems to enjoy using the atomic bombs as a testament to US evil. If you're going to use something, use declassified CIA documents or the middle east. Not something that happened damn near 100 years ago, and something that happened in the midst of a war. It's like if you kill my mother, so I kill all your extended family. Well. You shouldn't have killed my mother. E. g., Japan got what it bargined for. Not only did Japan bomb pearl harbor, it did so without a declaration of war. Even by Japanese standards, that was a highly dishonorable thing. More, pamphlets were dropped before the bombs dropped, telling everyoke their shit was going to get fucked up if they didn't bail. If you got a pamphlet like that, would you just stay? More, who knows how badly the war wouod habe dragged on had the bombs not been used. More, the use of atomic weapons prevented other wars out of fear.

I love Japan. It's probably my favorite country. I am a huge anime nerd. However.

[Rawrzz]

However, Japan was a militaristic warmonger, then.

More. If you want to hate on the U. S., use them stealing resources from 3rd world nations. I ain't defending the US. But I dont like it when people pretend like a country is saintly just because they got their asses kicked.

[John_Doesnt]

Downvote me all you want, call me unpatriotic or a terrorist but: I don't care anymore. I just don't care and am bored with hearing about it.
15 years a long time. Unless I know somebody who was a victim or had a friend/family that died I just don't give a damn anymore.

BTW: I'm not the %25 of Americans who are retarded enough to believe it was an inside job by the government or some magical scheme. I know it was terrorists, it was tragic etc. But I still don't care anymore.

[Ahmed_Sy15x]

Thank you for writing this but how many people did US troops kill in the middle east? how many did they kill in Iraq and Afghanistan? what about the bomb in Japan? why don't people remember that? some people are just blind :(

this world is a fucked up world man

[Terry_Himmler]

didn't Make me sad or feel anything because
1. Nagasaki Hirosima Bombed by americans
2. Viethnam War Americans had the objective search and destroy, killing and raping
3. France from Jihads 2015
4. World War 1 Killed or wounded 38 Million
so many more sad events
even pearl harbor is more sadder then 9/11 just 2700 deaths and two towers jesus christ chill

[Shiiz]

Meanwhile US troops murdered millions of brown people in Iraq and Afghanistan and none gives a single fuck.

[Ahmed_Sy15x]

exactly

[aWes0MeNeSs]

I love this, and I remember this happening when I was 6 years old. Thanks for writing!

[Ghassan]

It's a sad incident for a lot of people and I respect that, but never tell me it wasn't an inside job.

[BCRanger10]

Thank you for writing this.

[3336PS]

Thank you for putting it together. Tears...

[redeyemindtricks]

Thank you for this.

[positivepill]

most of the people working in those towers were prolly incels anyway and its survival of the fittest. So there was nothing to mourn about

[helloitsmethere]

Thank you very much for writing this.

[Fathoms77]

Thank you for this!

[colourz]

YAWN, don't care. Bunch of band-wagoners