It's very hard for me to write about this. I don't want to centralize this on myself when it should be directed towards the families that were affected ten years ago. So I will tell it how I interpret it from when I was only 11 years old.
Every morning, I woke up at 6AM for school. My routine was simple, shower, catch the bus around 6:30. Every morning my mom and grandparents would be awake as well, the TV would always be on to Good Morning America. Well, September the Eleventh I woke up at 6 per usual and saw not two people talking gossip about stock markets or how to cook food, but one of two identical buildings on fire. I didn't think nothing more. I took my shower, I got dressed. When I went out to eat my breakfast both towers were on fire now. My mom and grandparents were huddled around the television talking vigorously about what details were pouring out of the speakers. To me, all I head was airplanes and fire. This might as well been the movie Pearl Harbor which I had only seen recently.
I left for school. My morning teacher addressed the class about what had happened. We were told there had been four plane attacks, and the towers I had seen on TV had collapsed. It was untold how many lives were lost but thousands were predicted.
For me, this is where my understanding of the world began. Even today I couldn't tell you exactly what had happened in the Gulf, why exactly the walls in Berlin fell, who Princess Diana was, what the hell did Clinton do wrong? And lastly, what did the World Trade Center do, and what symbol did it represent to the USA? For me and I'm sure for many kids in my age bracket, it was a symbol of fear and insecurity. This marked the era of smoke and mirrors and war. An era of terrorism.
In 2009 me and my family visited New York, and I wanted to see what was dubbed Ground Zero by millions. I'll tell you, it was erie, definitely weird. We entered St. Pauls Chapel where we saw signs, "Oklahoma loves you!" and others written by people whom were moved by what had happened. Outside, we were greeted only by cranes and open space.
For me, it was surreal to not know what had stood here, but know what had happened here.
Looking back, this has been a testing year for the USA. Years where we questioned our government and the person next to us. Where we take off our shoes at airports and shun unwanted opinions.
However as we moved within a year of a decade since, America has changed. I believe we have became more trusting, more faithful even though some may say otherwise. In May, we finally caught and brought justice to the man we believed to be the mastermind behind the attacks on that date and continue to fight against his followers with increasing success. We understand why there is a USA, it's right in our name after all.
What I've learned in ten years about the world is what it means to be united. Not necessarily blind faith, but a simple understanding of what and why regardless of opinions. Because of that lone event, I will undoubtedly stand by my country and shout for the freedom it provides. I will hug those that have been directly and indirectly effected by that event. I will shake the hand of a serving military man and woman who serves and whom had served.
Lastly I will turn to those younger than me whom don't quite understand what had happened on September the Eleventh, and tell them why they should never forget even if they never saw.
That is the least I could do after what had happened ten years ago.
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