Sept 11

So, today I left Matt’s place. I was supposed to hang out as his school today, and learn from him, but, uh…he kinda brought me in as a surprise, and it freaked the bejeezus out of the teachers. Matt…had broken his own rule.

“No surprises, Dave. Don’t rock the boat.”

Oh, maaaan, was he right. I’m just hoping none of this comes back to bite either of us in the butt. Whatever. I just left, trying to smile, though my mind certainly wasn’t letting me.

I still suck at trains. Managed to screw it up one last time. On the plus side it gave me a better understanding of the rail system, and how the map of the rail system is not geographically correct. That’s an important realization, people, in case you didn’t know.

But, on the train, I glanced at my watch, and noticed,

“Huh…it’s 9/11.”

Yep. It was the fateful day that…still didn’t mean much to me. Sounds cold, doesn’t it? But it really isn’t. Since I lost no one in 9/11, I felt no connection to the horrible events of that day, and since I don’t really see New York as the greatest place in the world, the lost of the towers themselves held no weight in my existence. And for me to try and fake a connection makes me feel like I’m disrespecting those who actually DID lose people, so…I tend to shrug this day off as something that, though sad, is not in my jurisdiction to exalt, or degrade.

I was happy to see that life went on as usual in Japan. No “9/11 – Five Years Later” garbage. Honestly, the news stations should be ashamed of themselves for milking an event like that. But, back home, people were eating it up. As if to confirm their own patriotism, people joined together to remember a wound many of them never felt. I’m not even going to touch the political ramifications of 9/11…I’m just not one to go traipsing on feelings that aren’t mine. Maybe the people who lost folks in 9/11 didn’t feel like getting bombarded with a national ”We feel your pain.”

But then a more controversial thought went through my mind. The one I really, really don’t tell people when they mention 9/11. It was because a friend of mine was talking to me online and seemed a bit upset by my being irked by 9/11 coverage. She said, “People died…a lot of people.” My mind started to race, thinking, “People die all the time, and in far worse ways. There are people suffering right now, who don’t have the pleasure of having their lives wiped out in the blink of an eye…no, they have to watch and wait as death slowly takes them. Live in fear as death waits around the corner. I don’t see memorials for them. All I see is a news station trying to get rating with the ‘flavor of the month death story’.” Instead I just said, “Eventually, we have to let things go and stop dwelling on the past. Yes, people died, and it’s sad…but let’s be kind to the families that lost someone and allow THEM to decide when the memorials occur…”

She responded with a good point. “Let me know if they commemorate the day the bomb dropped in Japan.”

“They probably will…and my feelings will be the same.”

She didn’t like that…

I don’t think any thoughts on this issue would be received well. Shoot, I didn’t even record mine very well. I just tire of false attempts at looking like you care… Regardless…this will happen every year, and every year, I’ll manage to piss someone else off.

Oh hey…look at that. Japan did remember 9/11…by interviewing the Japanese family that lost someone in the carnage. …I guess sometimes people just need to be reminded that they are still alive. Even if it takes sorrow.

Eh…whatever. I’m done.

D