9/11 One More Time
I observed that first moment of silence this morning dozing on the toilet.
When I went downstairs, and turned of the radio, what struck me was that 9/11 has turned into emotional porn. People completely removed from the action can tune in to a little soap opera, a weepy reality show, about heroic people who died heroically at their heroic workplaces, and whom we must never forget, and indulge their need to feel sad and important, to be part of an historic event. Good God, they are reading out the names with soppy violin music in the background.
Let's put this in perspective.
No ones death is heroic. Death is dirty, surprising, painful, humiliating, dreadful. Almost no one dies peacefully in their sleep, and almost everyone dies too soon; pretending otherwise is fooling yourself. Don't like the downbeat tone I've taken? Too bad. *shrugs* Take it up with nature. Death is the final insult, and should be treated for what it is - a natural part of life, and as such, is usually pretty grubby.
Of course it is horrible that thousands of people died screaming. No decent person would argue that. However, we should remember that on that day those people in the Pentagon,the World Trade Center, and trapped in hijacked places were just going about their business when the reaper came, and very few are prepared for him. On that day and every September 11th since, other ordinary people died in fires, in earthquakes, in flood, in auto accidents, and their deaths were every bit as horrible and senseless. Every bit. That they died as part of political action isn't even special, because of the many others across the globe who also died of war and politics induced famine and bloodshed.
People whose family and friends were killed, they deserve to wallow for a few minutes or even days in their loss. For millions of people to join in via radio, tv, and the internet strikes me as obscene. I feel obscene, like a funeral-crasher. To be decent, I'm going to turn away. I'm going to go switch to a classical station.
I also noticed that I posted something in 2008 about this topic, where I vented some anger at the hubris of self-slaughter and multiple murder because you think you're God's special little snowflake. I said that if you gave me another seven years, maybe I could forgive the terrorists. Apparently, it only took another three. I can forgive your arrogance and greed for glory, 9/11 terrorists, for what it's worth.
When I went downstairs, and turned of the radio, what struck me was that 9/11 has turned into emotional porn. People completely removed from the action can tune in to a little soap opera, a weepy reality show, about heroic people who died heroically at their heroic workplaces, and whom we must never forget, and indulge their need to feel sad and important, to be part of an historic event. Good God, they are reading out the names with soppy violin music in the background.
Let's put this in perspective.
No ones death is heroic. Death is dirty, surprising, painful, humiliating, dreadful. Almost no one dies peacefully in their sleep, and almost everyone dies too soon; pretending otherwise is fooling yourself. Don't like the downbeat tone I've taken? Too bad. *shrugs* Take it up with nature. Death is the final insult, and should be treated for what it is - a natural part of life, and as such, is usually pretty grubby.
Of course it is horrible that thousands of people died screaming. No decent person would argue that. However, we should remember that on that day those people in the Pentagon,the World Trade Center, and trapped in hijacked places were just going about their business when the reaper came, and very few are prepared for him. On that day and every September 11th since, other ordinary people died in fires, in earthquakes, in flood, in auto accidents, and their deaths were every bit as horrible and senseless. Every bit. That they died as part of political action isn't even special, because of the many others across the globe who also died of war and politics induced famine and bloodshed.
People whose family and friends were killed, they deserve to wallow for a few minutes or even days in their loss. For millions of people to join in via radio, tv, and the internet strikes me as obscene. I feel obscene, like a funeral-crasher. To be decent, I'm going to turn away. I'm going to go switch to a classical station.
I also noticed that I posted something in 2008 about this topic, where I vented some anger at the hubris of self-slaughter and multiple murder because you think you're God's special little snowflake. I said that if you gave me another seven years, maybe I could forgive the terrorists. Apparently, it only took another three. I can forgive your arrogance and greed for glory, 9/11 terrorists, for what it's worth.