Thoughts
Though the dust settles, the haze hasn’t really lifted from this city.
Now that my neighborhood is open again to traffic, it feels more normal, but there’s something different about this place now.
Most of my friends and I walk around, and we still all stop every now and then, looking south, I guess in a feeble attempt to will them back, but the towers are still very much gone.
The rescue workers, who are quickly becoming more of a cleanup crew, must feel completely demoralized. it’s pretty obvious that no one’s alive in that pile, and basically, now they’re just cleaning up the mess.
There’s still an element of surrealism to all of this, but the sheer number of missing persons flyers tacked up all around the city confirms the truth more and more every time you go for a walk. This tragedy has touched every ethnic group here, every class, and it’s touched a lot of countries too.
There’s a much greater sense of community here than I’ve ever witnessed, and my friends who have lived here longer than me confirm this. The candlelight vigils are only growing, and people continue to debate the tragedy (and our possible response) on the street. I guess it’s not surprising the sense of community here is weak, since most of us (especially in Manhattan) are transplants – here to “make it big” or achieve something; we’re not here for the community spirit.
But such a spirit is flowing through the air – for now, at least.
I think the government is overly optimistic at how they will sustain a prolonged military exercise in this day and age. I think the American people want to strike back, but I think they want to quickly and decisively. Will Americans tolerate another World War II? That’s questionable, in my opinion, because the enemy isn’t trying to take over the world; they’re merely attempting to undermine our way of life.
And they already have. It looks like the FBI will be able to spy on us and intercept Internet transmissions and listen in on phone calls as much as they want now.
So, the terrorists have won.