Remembering September 11, 2001
Every year around this time, I choose to watch as much as I can about 9/11. I watch the specials, learn about the personal stories, and I cringe and cry and try to comprehend what the victims went through on that day, even if I never will really be able to. In the past, I was told I could not watch those specials because they were useless or exploitative of those who perished and lost so much. I would watch the specials in secret, feeling guilty, like I was being perversely morbid. Now that I am able to do what I wish, I have immersed myself in the many stories of 9/11, and it has scared me, angered me, shocked me, and saddened me. However, no matter how bad I feel, I believe it is my duty to re-witness these terrible events in order to honor the memory of those who were killed. I believe it necessary to suffer through this in order to maintain the vital memory of what happened. Forgetting is not only to disrespect the fallen, but to endanger the present and to risk the future. Thi