Uncertainty
I watched the terrorist attacks on 9/11 on high-def plasma screens at work. I had started telecommuting earlier that year, but still drove the two hours to and from work twice a week. Had I not been there, I most likely would not have known what happened until the following day. As it was, I saw the sureal sight of skyscrapers falling on high-def plasma and felt numb.
I am not sure why this came back to me this morning; minutes before I had been lying in bed thinking of an old Night Court line, which I’ve most likely mangled due to the passing of time: “The key to good mental health is a conscientiously applied program of oral hygiene.” As someone who brushes three times daily, and used to floss as often until told to cut back by several dentists, those are powerful words. Well, maybe not powerful, but as good as any to justify my oral hygiene OCD.
It wasn’t real to me. I felt saddened that so many people died, confused as to who had done it and why didn’t try to prevent any of it, and eventually got caught up in the day’s happenings. Had I finished work on my PBS accounts? Was everyone okay in the NY office? Did the President managed to fake his way through pretending to read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”? (note: Was it even “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” or was it some goat tale? And would he have known the difference?) The questions, some answereable, some not, built. Very quickly it became obvious that this would become a day that would affect us all. A terrorist strike at two of our major cities — death, destruction and chaos. From this came shoults of “Never Again!” To which our government responded by aligning with one country aiding and abetting those behind the attack to attack two other countries, one of which had nothing to do with the whole mess. Al-Qaeda struck at our physical being, while Bush, Cheney, Rove and Rumsfeld joined together with others to create an Axis of Evil which is still working to undermine the foundations of our government. Time will tell which acts of terror and treason will more greatly damage America: Those of Al-Qaeda or those of our own leaders.
So, that is how I started my morning. How about you?
