9/11

Yesterday, I spent my first 9/11 anniversary away from home.

For me, beyond the politics, beyond the causes and the effects, it is a day that saw a lot of loss of life. In an era when communication has made the world a much smaller place, people all over the world knew nearly instantaneously what had happened. Tragedies, loss, pain, death happens everyday. It was the first time I felt so connected to a tragedy in that large of scale. I didn't know anyone that died that day or that was directly effected, but I felt a connection to my country. I felt the attack on my country and our way of life.

It wasn't that the world changed, it was that, as Americans we became more aware of the rest of the world. In many ways we had this Epcot Center idea of the rest of the world. Every country was cute with it's funny little clothes, their weird food, and their funny little language. They are on display when we visit other countries. We forget that they have their own political systems and forces. We aren't at the center of the universe. Not everyone loves us.