New Yorker: 9/11 Five Years Later (圖)

This morning at  8:46 AM* we gathered to observe  a moment of silence to remember  2,479 people who were killed at world Trade Center five years ago today . Among these victims  a big number of  them were our kind,  people then were working in financial sector in downtown Manhattan.  For instance, 658 employees from Investment Bank Cantor Fitgerald located from 101st-105th floors  of north tower of the World Trade Center were taken away tragically on Sept. 11, 2001.

Glancing at the tranquil, cloudless crystal blue sky of early autumn morning through window glass I, a self-crowned New Yorker, as millions others in this great city started the day with tributes of silence and remembrance. I could not help but wish the memory of  9/11 – the gruesome terrorist attack and horrendous assault on civilization will be faded away with time.   

There is no doubt the physical scar of 9/11 in New York City is almost disappearing.  The business at lower Manhattan is flourishing, constructions at ground zero are moving along well these days.   The excruciating pain of losing love ones or friends is diminishing.   Yet, the emotion scar left on this city is anther story; people here are still deeply in anger, grief and fear.  A recent New York Times/CBS News polls indicated that 75% New Yorker would worry about another terrorist attack on this city, only few percentage point lower than the level in fall of 2001. New Yorkers have learned to include vigilance as permanent pathological response to day-to-day life.  

Nevertheless, one positive thing has come out from 9/11. That is, after five years, traumatized New Yorkers love this city more and spend more time with family and friends. They are far less presumptuous and indifferent to their fellow New Yorkers or tourists.  They understand better this time around that human life could be so fragile and you may lose the grip before even knowing it. 

One important lesson learned if we'd love someone we should let our words be heard because you never know if you'd ever get a chance to say it.

Tonight I’ve made a call to China and let my father and mother, grandpa and grandma know one more time  I love them with all my heart.

Note:*.  On September 11, 2001 at 8:46 A.M   hijacked  United Airline Flight 175  flew into the north tower of the World Trade Center. At 9:03 A.M. the second jet,  American Airline Flight  11,  crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center . 

 

[縱然平行]

豆沙小月餅: You are absolutely right about that the lives lost in 9/11 should make us to value more on love, share and care. We should contribute more in our communities and workplaces and we should be more willing to help other people whom we interact daily.

一粒麥子: Thank you for sharing your moving story and I think that your well-written piece deserves to be read by more readers so that I am going to ZT this one assuming you are not object the notion.

[一粒麥子]

縱然平行 –
Your article reminds me about a mentor in my life who perished with WTC during that horrific terrorist attack five years ago. She was one of those 658 Cantor Fitzgerald employees who lost their innocent lives that morning. I am inspired to compose below story to pay tribute to my mentor and 9/11.


It is a beautiful day. The sky is as clear and blue as it was in the morning five years ago. Nevertheless my heart felt extremely heavy today. Not sure that’s because today is the 5th anniversary of 9/11 or what happened during previous nights. At lunch time, the heavy weight of my heart had turned to an irresistible urge to pay a visit at the WTC site on this 5th anniversary of 9/11. While waiting for elevate, I met Terry, a senior manager, who was also going to WTC. “Why not we walk there together?” Terry proposed merrily. We walked couple blocks in this bustling Wall Street area toward WTC site.

The sound of the Bells of Remembrance danced in the air not faraway on Liberty Street. My mind was drifting back to years ago as if a movie of my past had played in my head. It was in early September. Fred and I just started dating after work. It was there he had joyfully held my hand 1st time in our dating. I bought that gorgeous camera. With it, he had flashed pictures of me like movie with the splendid evening scenes of Twin Towers as background. We rode the seemingly endless escalate toward street level. We shopped. After dinner at various restaurants, we sat together and chatted in the flower garden right between the Twin Towers. Life was full of dreams and fond memories. At the end of the day when we had to part, he would often stand there to see me go through the turnstile of path train and then head back to his home. I could still see the hearted smiles on his face and feel the warmth of his strong hand.

“Look, there is the memorial site!” Terry’s announcement turned off my movie player. In front of us, lay the huge “hole of the ground”. Through the fences, I could see people in fine dark uniform moving toward the flower bedded memorial site. At the high edges of this hole, there were many high volume beams radiate in the sun. There were no trace of the once hallmarks of New York City that had my footsteps. “Let’s walk around to find the entrance”, I suggested.

As we passing through the multitudes outside the 9/11 visitor center, I suddenly poured my thoughts out to Terry, “It’s sad we would always hear people lost their loved ones because we would never hear anyone hurray about getting rid of most closed enemy through 9/11.” “True, each family is in different levels of difficulties.” Terry concluded. My mind was packed with a wife’s passionate and proud recount of her loving husband’s heroic actions and determinations to succeed in getting back United Flight 93 from the book “Let’s Roll”. I couldn’t help longing that I could always have the same kind of feeling as that of Lisa the author about my energetic, talented and brainy Fred, who is unfortunately ensnared in the web lately and temporarily impaired to differentiate fancy from reality. Should history repeat, which book would I write for Fred?

In the afternoon, a commemoration of the 5th Anniversary of September 11 was held in the conference center. The chairman of the September 11th Commemorative Committee and the guest speaker both delivered speeches with theme “We Recover and Rebuild” that had drawn long applauding. The chorus presented the musical Tribute with selection “Living in the Promised Land”:

Livin' in the Promised Land
Our dreams are made of steel
The prayer of every man
Is to know how freedom feels
There is a winding road
Across the shifting sand
And room for everyone
Livin' in the Promised Land
Give us your daily bread
We have no shoes to wear
No place to call our home
Only this cross to bare
We are the multitudes
Lend us a helping hand
Is there no love anymore
Livin' in the Promised Land

My heart was pounding. With the image of the new # 7 WTC building on the exhibit panels, the revitalization is evident.

Tonight, our building will glow in three colors - red, white, and blue, the colors of the nation’s flag, which symbolize Hope, Passion, and Determination. Holding my Tiffany wedding band and engagement ring in my palm, I seemed to hear the courageous and resilient messages “We Recover and Rebuild” again. After all I haven’t been wearing them for more than two years already. But tomorrow they will shine again on my finger. My heart will be beaming with same three colors. For I know, I won’t be alone in revitalizing our institution.


Thanks for sharing your insights about 9/11. I could not agree with you any less about your conviction of loved ones. You are right about cherishing them in our normal daily life and even in time of difficulty. Tonight, I will tell my husband one more time that I love him dearly.

一粒麥子

[豆沙小月餅]

5年前在國內的我得知9.11恐怖襲擊時，一開始以為是朋友的玩笑。直到各個電台都在轉播，我才敢相信。震驚，恐懼，憤怒，惋惜...這一天不僅僅是美國的911，也是全世界熱愛和平的人們心中共同的傷口。

不要讓這些無辜的遇難者白白浪費生命，我們應該更加珍惜現有的幸福，學會愛人愛己。