9/11 Thoughts

In college psychology they teach you about flash bulb memory--a shared moment in time where very large groups of people remember exactly where they were. It was absurd to me that they used the assassination of JFK as an example when I was in college. Despite being older than most of my fellow students, I hadn't even been born yet when those tragic circumstances unfolded in Dallas. This made remembering where I was at the time quite difficult. I thought the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger was a better example for Americans my age. I remember that clearly. The events of September 11, 2001 are probably the most current example of a flash bulb memory. I bet you remember where you were when you heard the news that both World Trade Center buildings and the Pentagon had been struck by planes.

Personally, I felt like the last person in the country to find out about it. I had spent the early part of day writing, listening to music and avoiding the distraction of the internet. At 3:00 p.m. I jumped in my car and headed to the office to drop off some paperwork before going to supervise the night shift at the coffee shop I managed. With a CD playing in the car, I had no idea that anything out of the ordinary had happened until I noticed the electronic sign over the highway read, "Airport closed until further notice." Strange.

Curious what could cause an airport to close, I tuned to the radio and heard the terrible news. At the time I had three relatives who worked in the Pentagon from time to time. I had no idea if they were there, if they were safe. I dropped off the paperwork at the office. Shell shocked, I spoke to a few people there, expressing in no uncertain terms my opinion that we should close all the shops for the rest of the day.

I went to work, spent an hour on the phone there talking to friends and family. We closed at 5 p.m. instead of 11 that night and no one minded one bit. It was a day to mourn, not to buy coffee. It didn't feel right trying to hand someone a cappuccino with a smile on our faces . . . if anyone had wanted a cappuccino. The entire shopping center was bordering on becoming an eerie ghost town.

We won't likely remember this 9/11 in ten or eleven years, but let's take a moment to say a prayer for those who were affected by the events of this day in 2001. For today, and hopefully for a while longer, let's remember the bravery, the sadness, the heroics, the loss but mostly the unity that we felt as a nation in that moment. Let's move forward with a commitment to what was likely the only good thing to come from that moment, our sense of oneness as Americans and our love for one another.

What happened to my manners?

There’s long been a rule of decorum, you don’t discuss politics or religion with guests. It’s a good rule so I’m not going to talk about anyone’s political ideas here. I don’t want to take a side. I don’t want to start a discussion (we call discussions about politics, fights these days and I’m not a fighter). As far as I’m concerned politics should be a four-letter word. Your mother should gasp if you utter it. So I’m not going to talk politics here. Let me make something clear, I’m not going to support any side, any issues any candidates. What I am going to do is talk about what’s wrong with politics.

There is an old joke--you can tell a politician is lying if his lips are moving. It seems to me that in this particular presidential election the lies and hate have evolved to a new level. They don't even have to move their lips anymore. I don’t care which side your standing on, both candidates have played dirty. Don’t fly off the handle to tell me about how wonderful your candidate is. I don't care! I’m personally not going to endorse either of them.  They’ve stripped one another of any virtue worthy of the leader of our country. They’ve taken the mightiest nation in the world and turned us against one another by frivolously pointing fingers at each other and name calling like a couple of six-year-old bullies puffing up their chests on the playground. Are you really so excited about one of the candidates that you want to punch one of your friends in the throat for making fun of them? Have you quit taking your meds?

I want my president to be above name calling. I want him to tell me what merits his election, not why I shouldn't pick the other guy. It's like telling me, "Don't buy that used Pinto. They're know to explode." That's all good and fine until I realize the used car salesman is trying to push a Yugo on me instead. Point me to a car that has some positive value if you want to sell me one!

Yeah, I got sucked into the battle. I was tired of the name-calling and finger pointing. I was appalled that anyone could stand behind “that guy.” I was so annoyed, I did what anyone would have. I started name-calling and finger pointing. Of course since I was doing it, it was perfectly fine (I am a genius and everyone should know that what I post is absolute truth, right?)

A couple days ago I realized that every time I saw a post on facebook about how crappy one candidate was, I kind of wanted to punch someone in the throat, myself. I don’t like wanting to punch people in the throat. I suppose if it actually made me feel better and people were alright with it, that might be another story . . .

“Hey, why did you punch me in the throat?”
“Ah, it’s the stupid upcoming election. It just makes me so mad.”
“Oh no worries. I know how you feel.”
“Cool, you want to punch me in the throat? Go ahead. Really! I feel much better after punching you.”

So here’s the deal. I’m going to write in Franklin D Roosevelt for president this election. There haven't been a lot of good ones since him. Besides, he isn't complaining about the other guy. Sadly, I'm pretty sure he won’t win and with having served more than two terms already and being dead, I’m not sure it would matter anyway. You vote for whoever you want to win. I’m not going to worry about it anymore. In the long run I know God is going to sort it out anyway . . . aw, now I’ve done it; I strayed into a religious discussion.