Should We Change the 911 Memorial?

Has the memory of 9/11 faded? First I remind readers that I was an eyewitness to the tragedy, and deeply and personally touched and changed by it. Still, as time passes, even I am noting a general change, perhaps natural healing, around the event.

There are now adolescents who need to be taught the history of the day, or else they might learn it from conspiracy theorists and the otherwise ignorant. There is a push to make 9/11 history a part of the curriculum nationwide, as it should be.

Still, the annual ceremonies in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania seem to be getting tired, with the reading of the names and the ringing of the fading bells. I wonder if the call to "Never forget," really means never forgive. Because to never forget is something very personal, and does not require grand ceremony. I'll never forget, whether there are spotlights or not. I'll have more to say about this and my own theory about the purpose of 911 in an article I've been working carefully on.

Nine years later, I returned to the scene in the early morning hours of 9/11 this year. I found police officers stationed around the site of the planned mosque. Can you imagine that there are guards posted around an old coat store? There were a million bikers riding around and hanging out about the old T-beam cross and all along the construction site, and I love their patriotism; and that cross means so much to me. But something was missing this year. The tragic memories had faded some for me, and the tears had dried up. So, I wonder, if this was the case for me, so deeply and personally touched by the events, what about the rest of you?

I feel as though we need to keep remembering 911, but perhaps the way we do it might change. I think that we should be learning from it, more than dwelling on it. I think that we should be promoting peace and global friendship, and coexistence and understanding. I think that we should be educating and loving and healing old wounds. I think this is the best way to serve those lost to us, and also that part of our own hearts forever scarred by the day. We can keep reading their names and remembering them and the tragedy brought about by evil forces that day, but I wish we would also work toward preventing the addition of new names each 9/11. I think it's time now to heal old wounds, to restore human love and common respect and to guard against future atrocity.

Should We Change the Annual 911 Memorial?

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