9/11, From a Distance

9/11 is a date known to every American as a tragic event that shook the very core of the United States. Pain, grief, and death are the words used to describe it. But the way it affected us is different for everyone. Some people weren’t even affected by it, on the other hand, entire cultures were affected.

In my own experience 9/11 has very little significance in my life. Yes, I feel sadness and pain for the families that were broken and all those innocent people that died during the attacks but at the same time, I can’t bring myself to be absolutely downed by it. I lived in West Africa for 12 years of my life and I wasn’t even born when it happened. I only learned about it when I was 10 years old so it really didn’t affect me then. However, it matters to me because of the lives that were lost and the social discord and hate that was directed toward the Muslim community but it doesn’t matter to me that buildings were destroyed. It would not have had any significance to me if all that happened was those buildings falling down and no lives being lost.

So yes 9/11 matters to me as a historical and terrible event that changed the United States and the world in general. Because of that, we have better security at the airport and most terrorist attacks are prevented.