Via Snugg Harbor, I was directed to this excellent post about the world before and after 9/11.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, I headed off in cab to teach a class in downtown Chicago. It was a normal day and normal event. Two hours later, all that changed.
Over the days and weeks that passed, we waited for the Other Shoe, listened attentively to the news to learn what our official national reaction was going to be, and over the months and years that have passed since that horrid day, we?ve been prosecuting the War on Terror(ism).
Many of us have filled our free time with debating the matter on the Internet, through our blogs, or message forums. The folks who aren?t plugged-in, do something similar in cafes and bowling alleys.
I believe, however, that many of us are waiting for the day when the War on Terror will be over, when we can go back to how we approached each other, and our daily lives, as we did at 8:56 AM on September 11, rather than 8:57 AM.
That isn?t going to happen.
I don’t think that concept has fully sunk in with most Americans. How much have our daily lives really changed since 9/11 ? Not much really. Yes, we have longer lines at airports and, if you live in cities like New York and Washington, DC, more security measures at goverment buildings, but for most Americans 9/11/05 will seem alot like 9/10/01.
I think this is dangerous because it lulls us into a false sense of security. Forgetting what happened on September 11th means that we’re likely to be even more shocked when the next attack occurs, and whether it comes in 2005 or 2015, that day will come.
The author goes on to say:
This is the new, normal. There is no going back. Read your Orpheus.
The only thing we really lost on September 11, 2001 was the illusion that terrorism didn?t happen, or that it couldn?t or wouldn?t happen to us. War and doing battle against evil is as much a part of the human condition as birth. As much as we?d love to return to the happiness of ignorance, that fantasy is over. Or, for individuals capable of dealing with reality, it should be over.
The Barbarians will be forever at the gates, both literally and emotionally. Terrorism, the threat of it, will be with us always and how we adjust to it will test just how strong our resolve and our faith in the ideals of liberty.
Read the whole thing over at the Mrs. du Toit Weblog.
