Never Forget

There seems to be this poetic mantra people have for 9/11, either "never forget" or "always remember" or some variation on the two. There are editorials saying it's time to move on, heal, forget, whatever. Well, maybe they've moved on, but the rest of us are having a little trouble. It's hard to say what it is that makes it so hard to let go of 9/11: maybe it's the fact that we're still fighting in the middle east, or because it took so long to build the memorial or just the simple fact that it was civilians that paid the price this time. Whatever it is, we're not letting go any time soon. And as for "never forget" how could I? I remember perfectly where I was and what I was doing when I found out about the WTC, as does everyone else. Psychology calls it a flashbulb memory. Beyond that, my whole world got turned on its head and suddenly words like "terrorist" got shoved into the everyday vernacular. I'd never heard of terrorists and I couldn't have found Afghanistan on a map. And, however it may sound, all this wrecked my childhood. My childhood, adulthood, all of the above. I was fourteen when this mess started, so it's safe to say I really grew up with all of this and it's a lousy way to pave the way to adulthood. At least people know how police officers and firefighters have always been the selfless heroic people that they are, but thanks to 9/11 they proved it in an incredible way. Innocent people died that day because some crazy loons from a country I'd never heard of wanted to prove some sort of point about capitalism or something. As if flying planes into buildings is going to make people sympathize with you. My life continues to be made miserable and difficult, people die, and everything is a mess because of this one act by a small group of horrible people who seemed to think that just because they were willing to die thousands more should have to as well. They never did anything to offend these Jihadists and neither did I. So, they can take their precious cause and shove it. Fact is, I'm not interested. You don't murder innocents and wreck my life and expect me to sympathize with anything, I don't care what it is. So, I'm still angry. Thanks for the offer, but I won't move on, I won't forget, I won't let it go. I don't care if that makes me petty or anything else. As far as I'm concerned, terrorism is one of the highest forms of cowardice and I'm not letting it go. What I will do is remember the courage, sacrifice, and lives lost because of all this. I'll never forget that.