The Anniversary: a Stray Thought

As every American knows, a lot of people died six years ago today. A lot of good people, I'm sure.

Think of your end. How do you want to go. (Nice idea, sir, but be sure to warn the young lady ahead of time.) And, how do you want to be remembered.

The dead of 9/11 are remembered, in a sense. Their families and friends definitely carry on their memory. In the public, individuals are named, but tend to be overshadowed by the event itself. Perhaps this is inevitable. But something is missing. A lot of he's and she's, really, are missing from the account.

In addition, there's 9/11 as a political prop. The victims are used to justify certain policies, their legacy invoked to make politicians look tougher.

Would they approve? It's impossible to say for sure. In all likelihood, some would and others wouldn't.

The fact is, though, that they didn't approve. We're not asking them. We're telling each other.

How to best respect the dead? Maybe by not pretending that we serve them.