I look at the subject of that title, and in context of the date on which it is being published, and I realize one thing. Americans must seem like self absorbed idiots. We latch on to one attack on our soil. One attack on innocent life within our country and choose to use it to remember that life is precious. We post news stories and blogs about it, and we feel good about ourselves for doing so, while across the world hundreds of thousands die for no reason to violence and terrorism. We must seem to the rest of the world as self centered as ever right about now.

You know what? If they think of us that way, then I am fine with it. They are allowed to think, and say what they want about us. That’s what I’ve learned by living here. People have the right to believe what they want. They have the right to say what they feel. They have the right to shout it at the top of their lungs with the world watching on TV and the President of the country 50 feet away. People have that right, and it’s that right which scares people like those who crashed those four planes 8 years ago into our buildings and that field in Pennsylvania. They are afraid of our freedom, because freedom is contagious. Freedom grows. The subjugated see that there is something better, and they unite and they free themselves. There’s a long history of that in this country, and all across the world. The people in power over those huddled masses are afraid of our freedom, because they see their power dwindling if an American brand of freedom somehow seeps into their society. They fear their loss of power, so they attack us.

So, people can think what they want. They can curse us for not holding a candlelight vigil for each and every member of their society that has fallen to terrorism and violence. They can deride us for being so self centered as to band together as a country – even if it is just for one day – and remember the lives of those who we lost in New York and Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon on that horrible day eight years ago.

They can say what they want. I’ll listen and dismiss it, because I know the truth. That day, the worst day that most of us can remember, brought out the best in all of us. I choose to remember that. I don’t dwell on the sadness of death or the horror of the attack. I dwell on the good that happened in the aftermath.

You see, I work for a Medical company which makes devices which are used in surgery. The type of devices which were used in many surgeries during the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. This company got a call from the hospitals at Ground Zero the day after the attacks which said that they were running out of drains on hand, and they needed about 200 more.

Within 2 hours of that call, the CEO of this company was in his Chevy Suburban with 40 cases of Chest Drains, driving them personally to New York City to donate them to the cause.

Things like that are what I remember. People thinking of the other guy. In the medical field, our job is saving lives, and I’d like to think that many lives were saved because My boss got in his car and did the right thing that day. I’d like to think that the lessons we learned that day were not lessons of fear, or lessons of terror. I’d like to think we learned lessons in compassion and heroism.

I know that’s what I learned. And that’s why I will never forget.

Popularity: 1% [?]