story8307.xml

story8307.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-10-02

"...Pentagon has been bombed." Those words from the radio were the first signs of trouble I heard on my way to school that morning. The events of September 11 have no doubt changed the lives of many around the world; though I have not been directly affected by the attacks as others have, my sympathy still goes out to anyone who has suffered since that memorable day. But maybe I don't deserve to be sympathizing or mourning for others, for I have not lost as much as victim's families have. I might be too young and naive to really feel the whole extent of what the events on the eleventh have produced. I don't feel the "unity" that has apparantly been brought out by the attacks, and I certainly have not felt the need to display a flag anywhere for the world to see. No, I prefer my own method of patriotism. I think what I have tried to do most since last September is try to understand the situation better. But I found that difficult to do with masses of red, white, and blue being hurled at me for the couple of weeks following the eleventh. It wasn't that I opposed of the way others were showing their feelings, I just wanted people to respect the way I chose cope with mine--though I'm still not positive what my feelings are. Being on the west coast might be numbing me from reality; or perhaps it's all the movies and shows I've seen depicting similar events. Whatever it is, I know that some day I will really know what my position is on the attacks and the after math. The unity that has apparantly held America together this past year is something I expected, and I am thankful that ignorant acts of the Pearl Harbor aftermath have not taken place. However, I know I am still the same person as I was before and I will continue to be. Many people have told me that they have discovered themselves more because of the attacks, but I just feel like I'm the same person, living the same life. I guess someone could be reading this and thinking either that I'm lucky, or just arrogant and unsensitive. In my mind, I'm just lucky, and maybe naive, because if anything like that events that took place on September 11 occur again, I know they have the potential to affect me much greater than this event has. So I want to be ready.