Lest We Forget

I know this is late for a 9/11 Memorial Post... but considering the subject matter, I think that's appropriate. My friend Joseph Derbyshire sent this to me in an email he'd written up after a discussion over Scrabble of the effects of 9/11 on our lives. I thought I'd share it with you.

...Our view of the world changed shortly after 9am that day. 
Afterwards, as the Pentagon burned, the Towers collapsed, all
flights in North America were suspended, and the US closed its
land border crossings, we realized the scope of this change. 
And it awoke something in us.  For several days afterward, we
were polite to strangers, we spoke to distant friends and family
 on the phone, we remembered our manners as we let drivers
change lanes in front of us.  People spoke openly in the media
of how their faith sustained them as they waited for rescue or
worked long hours to rescue others. For a brief moment, we
weren't self-centred, busily scurrying from appointment to
appointment but we were focused on others. 

We were in mourning.

We condemned the attacks.  We called those who plotted and
carried out these plots terrorists.  We admired the firemen,
police, paramedics, rescue workers, construction workers who
helped pull out any survivors and removed the rubble to search
for human remains.  Good was recognized and evil was despised.

Five years later, we are starting to forget.  As the civil-liberties of
imprisoned terrorists become a greater concern than national security
against future terrorist attacks.  As the media censors those original
disturbing images and displaces those voices of righteous indignation
with revised misgivings of self-guilt, questioned presumptions and
hand-wringing.  As fringe conspiracy theories become mainstream. 
As open professions of faith make others uncomfortable.  As we get
back to our busy, self-centred lives.

As I watched the ceremonies on television this morning, it was difficult
for network commentators to refrain from speaking during the moments
of silence. Or keep from breaking to commercial.  Or break away to
regularly scheduled programming at 10am.

Lest we forget.