20 Years...

 Where were you when the world changed?

20 years ago today, a horrible act of terrorism occurred. While there are major debates on who caused it, whether it was foreign or domestic, everyone can agree on that fact: it was terrorism. 2,977 lives were lost, and so many more have been lost since, due to this day in the past. Three buildings were hit, with one more targeted, which would have caused more casualties. The days that followed were full of fear, but also of humanity. From that point forward, nothing was the same.

I remember where I was. I was a freshman in high school, and had just walked in to English. My teacher, like so many others, told us that something terrible had happened, and we would not be doing a lesson. We all sat down, and watched the towers fall, on repeat. One of my friends was panicked... his uncle worked in one of the towers. This was before cell phones were prevalent, so we had no way of knowing if he went to work that day. I do not recall if I was ever told. 

I remember saying that everything would be fine, it was okay. But it wasn't. Only 18 people were found alive, and cleanup of the site took 9 months.  We went to war, and heard the phrase "weapons of mass destruction" more times that I can count. This event is now in history books, and we lived through it. 

I will say, something special also happened in the days that followed. Humanity became more compassionate in the aftermath, even for a small period of time. People supported each other, in numerous ways. Donating, volunteering, even listening to each other. One notable occurrence: Steve Bushemi, a former firefighter, went to assist at ground zero. A moment of silence was observed everywhere in the country. And everyone held their breath, hoping for miracles.

To this day, we are still getting new information, from people, and videos that have never been seen. We also have a new generation speaking out on the aftermath: the people who were born on that fateful day. Their whole lives, they have known something was unique about them, and now, at 20 years old, they are speaking about how it felt.

For me, it is hard to remember a time before this. I have memories, but in them, there was no before and after: it was always this way. I think because I was at such a formative age, it skewed the narrative in my head. I had never seen the towers in person, and I do not know the difference if they show it now in movies. In my mind, the before skyline and the after skyline are two separate places. It's better that way... I would break down trying to reconcile the two. 

I do plan on visiting the memorials one day; not just of the towers, but of Flight 93 in Shanksville, where the passengers fought back against the hijackers. The plan seemed to be to crash into either the White House or the Capitol building. However, they were forced to crash in Pennsylvania, due to this huge act of bravery. They lost their lives, but in turn, saved countless others.

Life goes on, but we never forget the actions of this day, and the ones that followed. It affected us all so deeply, that we will never fully heal.