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The September 12th Spirit “The Republic is a dream. Nothing happens unless first a dream.” — Carl Sandburg When Americans awoke on September 12, 2001, “I” had turned to “we”. An aura of intense compassion permeated the air. Those who experienced it will never forget how great it was to transcend all the hard feelings that had fractured our nation’s body only days – and for years – before. Prejudices based on politics, race, religion, and class weren’t wiped out – but grief made all our differences unimportant. It was a profoundly caring and powerful time. In the years since then, our animosities have returned with a vengeance. We seem to believe that we can achieve great things without bipartisanship. We don’t listen. We don’t learn. We don’t share. We don’t encourage. Indulging the belief that one side has all the answers, and the other side is the devil incarnate is childish and foolish – and we can’t afford either as society seems to be rushing toward a terrible tipping point. But we do not have to let virulent intolerance destroy our country. We sense the danger that comes when we are divided by vicious, self-righteous, out-of-control emotions – the very poison that infected the 9/11 plotters – but we don’t know what to do about it. We talk about what unites us and then obsess about what divides us. Does a shared tragedy have to be the only way to bring society to its senses? Or can we choose instead to raise our collective sights and go looking for the elusive September 12th spirit? Can we find that state of mind where generosity of spirit produces real solutions to the grievances that now consume us? Human beings, standing on different patches of earth, with our unique backgrounds and codes, will never see the same things in the same way. But we can decide to bring out the best in each other by rejecting hatred and alienation as if our lives depend upon it. We can embrace the ancient Golden Rule enshrined in all cultures as the life preserver it is and hang on for dear life. That may seem farfetched today but nothing happens unless first a dream. The Twin Towers Alliance has promoted restoring the Twin Towers since 2006. We believe it would be a breathtaking affirmation of the respect, achievement, and brotherhood that could catapult civilization to new heights. Because the Twin Towers were never just buildings. They were designed to be “a living symbol of man’s dedication to world peace” and reborn Towers would be a world platform for trading ideas, airing differences, building trust, and championing the pursuit of an ever more perfect union. The TTA is adamantly bipartisan (not non-partisan) because we know that strong support for rebuilding has always come from both sides of the political divide. It is one thing that both sides passionately agree on – especially young people. It can bring us together. We are now finalizing a proposal for “Phase Two – Completing the World Trade Center” that we are confident will startle skeptics with details of how feasible and popular rebuilding the Towers would be. Some pundits have assumed that the Twin Towers were targeted as symbols of American arrogance. But that wasn’t Osama bin Laden’s take on 9/11. In October 2001, he boasted to an Al Jazeera reporter: “The values of this Western civilization under the leadership of America have been destroyed. Those awesome symbolic towers that speak of liberty, human rights, and humanity have been destroyed. They have gone up in smoke.” It is noteworthy that he didn’t say “that spoke” – he said, “that speak”. An early commenter on the TTA Petition said it best: “Terrorism is a war of symbols. That is why the Towers were targeted and that is why they must be rebuilt.” We encourage supporters to share this page widely. |
