Remembering "9/11" Past and Present Here and Around the World

Six years have passed since the most devastating terrorist attack in the history of the United States of America. Personally, I can't think of anything else that has impacted me more than that day, when it appeared the world had stopped revolving.

On a personal level, there is no doubt that my world stopped for a second as it did for most Americans, but the further we get from that day, the easier it is to gain perspective, while at the same time celebrating the lives of those that were taken from us on that brutal day. 3,000 deaths over the course of a couple hours is an event of enormous scale in US history, but of infinitesimal scale in world history and at present.

Just as we mourn one death amongst our family and/or friends profoundly, we mourn the victims of 9/11 in much the same way. But as the intensity of our grief starts to dissipate we must also reflect on the people around the world that are currently experiencing pain and suffering on the scale of 9/11 every day, especially those who we may be partially responsible for, whether through our outright support or complete ignorance of the situation causing so much death and destruction around the world.

Having said that, I still believe the good America does globally far outweigh any evil we may happen to contribute.

Some 9/11 Memorial sites:

September 11th Web Archive

September 11th Television Archive

September 11th Digital Archive

NPR Special Coverage of 9/11

9/11 Calls: Audio and Transcripts

Sonic Memorial

Special Collections (Federal Resources for Educational Excellence)