I don't know what's going on in the media bubble right now. Being in school full-time is pulling me away from some of my normal activities. But I was listening to the radio on the way where they were talking about the events that unfolded that morning six years ago. It got me thinking about the "where-were-you-when-it-happened?" question.
September 11, 2001, I was following my normal schedule. I got up in my apartment in Marietta at about my normal time, 11:00 in the morning. (Yes, I was a CS major.) There was a career fair at Georgia Tech that morning, and I was looking for a job. I got in my car and headed to the school.
The first indication that something was wrong was, of course, the radio. Everything was so frantic, I didn't really understand what was going on. At about the same time I noticed the sign on the Interstate. You know those electronic Interstate traffic signs that tell you how long it's going to take to get to the next major highway? The sign on the highway said that the Atlanta Airport was closed down. I found out later that this had never happened before.
I went to the dry cleaners just north of campus to pick up my suit. The Indian couple there explained to me what was going on. I spent the rest of the day at the Lutheran Center (which apparently doesn't have a website anymore), glued to the television. The career fair was canceled, and I believe most of my classes were as well.
9/11 never really seemed real to me. Remember the tsunami a couple years ago? Thousands of people died and it was horrible, but I didn't know any of those people. Their loss didn't affect my life. 9/11 seemed similar. Is that horrible? Is that desensitiziation? So many bad things happen around the world every day; with all of the media exposure, am I numb to human tragedy?
I would like think the answer is no. When I went down to Ocean Springs after Katrina, I was definitely not numb. Maybe I just have to put a face with tragedy. Maybe the faces I see on the news just don't have the same impact. But sometimes I feel I am a little wrapped up in my own little world. I've been blessed not to have to deal with many huge tragedies in my life.
Where am I going with this? I'm not sure; it didn't end up going where I thought it would. I guess I'm grateful for where life has led me so far.
2 comments:
I hear the Lutheran Center does have a "real" web site out there somewhere, though it was never completed...
I had heard about the first tower while sitting at my desk, monitoring the internet and various news sources as I often do. Then, I went into the office to talk with my manager about something. When we came out, that was when the second plane hit. That's when we all knew something had transcended beyond mere chance. And that's also when we noticed we had some pretty important national assets sitting a couple hundred yards away from us, as we looked out the window. Went home by lunchtime, and talked with Lisa Toth on the phone for a bit - but was simply glued to the television for the rest of the day and night.
-tFJ
I was working at Target. I started at 4am. By the time the second plane hit we were gathered around watching the big wall 'o tvs. I was off at Noon and was housesitting, so i spent the day wondering about the family that was in Florida and just not knowing what to think.....
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