Seth’s World View

flat. We were driving separate cars. I realized that something was occurring, so it was on my mind, but the weight of it hadn’t sunk in. I mean, terrorism happens. Most of the time it’s far away. I never know any of the people involved. While casualties are always a bad thing, the numbers seem to often to limited.

As we were driving through the tool booth, I heard the guy at the tool booth say to Joel, who was in the car in front of me, that one of the towers fell. At that moment, it sunk in, and I felt it.

When we arrived at Marcel’s place, we solemnly walked in. As I recall, the 2nd tower had fallen by that point. Where two towers stood, now there was rubble and smoke. We stared for awhile. We probably exchanged words. At some point, we left for Joel’s place. And there, we watched some more.

There was a feeling that day of not knowing what to expect, and thus, expecting the unexpecting. And here I was, essentially in the middle of it all. The three crash sites were all a three hours drive from where I was. I felt vulnerable. Had Three Mile Island been a target, I wouldn’t be writing this now.

I made calls to Colorado and NW Pennsylvania, to friends and family. Everyone was watching. Many were at work, but they were still watching. There was a solemnness. The fallout lasted for days, as did the fear and anxiety. That entire week, we experienced the unknown, and wondered what would happen next.

10 years later, we’re the same, but different. That moment affected the course of my country, and of Americans. It was a reality check, and for awhile, people pulled together from all walks of life. While I never desire to see disaster, the phoenix that rises from the ashes can be a beautiful site to behold.

There is more that could be said about the event, and certainly more that people will, but I’ll leave the politics of it to others. It affected me, and here in Cambodia, I’ll take a moment to mourn, and remember lessons I may have forgotten.