Daily Kos

London Calling, NYC answering.

by rockmoonwater

Sun Jul 10, 2005 at 04:02:19 PM PDT

I came across this in another thread.  

A kind word, a caring act and a city transformed by tragedy

London's reaction, this sudden coming-together, has been put down, by one or two commentators, to the new spirit engendered by the Olympic win; and, hell, who knows? But I really don't think so; I think it goes back further than that. We did know it was coming. We may have forgotten, for a while, but inside we still knew the bad stuff, like a smoker's relationship with his lungs. No one in this city can forget New York's reaction to 9/11; and a quiet part of Londoners - by which I mean, simply, people living in London - had been preparing for theirs.

Below the fold is my response.

I'm a NYer.  And certain simple words well constructed by a talented writer can move me to tears.  And those simple words above, "No one in this city can forget New York's reaction to 9/11", did just that.

9/11 was....I still have no words to describe the tumult of emotions and thoughts felt most strongly that day, but now matured into a view that many in NYC now share.  The view that we, each of us, is connected.  Our actions do not just harm ourselves they harm all of mankind.  A view, and this took the longest to see, that  our Muslim neighbors and shop owners and co-workers are not the terrorists.  A view, as was witnessed in the selfless acts of just about all NYers on and in the days after 9/11, that the bad people really are few and far between.  They can easily infect others with their hate and vitrol, but those infected, if it is taken care of in the early stages of the disease, can look forward to a 100% survival rate.  From great anger and pain can come great compassion and beauty.  I witnessed it in myself.  Many NYers did.

I know that all Americans and many in the world were affected by 9/11.  And what they showed to me and all NYers, they can never be truly thanked for.  But to be here, the confusion, to witness it, to smell it, to lose friends and family, to see the pictures of the missing memoralized by urgent handwritten scrawl asking for information, any information on people you knew were already dead, was to be part of something that again there are no words for.

And then what happened after.  It was a wonder to behold.  An amazing moment of love and unity that had taken root came into bloom and everyone, everyone gathered around it.  And to be at the root of that love and unity was...beyong humbling.  That moment was something we all shared.  All of us, all of humanity.  Oh, to have that moment Bush and Blair trampled under their over-sized feet so carelessly, so nonchalantly.  Oh, if humanity could only be given that chance again.   If only.

London, I hear you calling.  And above is my answer.  Take what you will from it.

Many thanks to JimPortlandOR for bringing the article to my attention.

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Permalink | 4 comments

  •  I would love to know your thoughts (none / 0)

    Thanks!

    by rockmoonwater on Sun Jul 10, 2005 at 04:10:45 PM PDT

  •  This is the same way (none / 1)

    London has always reacted to bombs.  It's actually nothing to do with the Olympics, or even 9/11.  People who lived through the Blitz during WW2 recognize the same spirit in London today as was alive then.

    I believe it has to do with historical perspective.  Great Britain has a long history of violence upon its shores.  It's sad, but you'll often hear old people in England wishing for a return to "the good old days during the War".  What they're wishing for is not the violence itself, of course, but the same camaraderie and brotherliness that all strong societies display in their darkest hours.  This is the same camaraderie and brotherliness you experienced on 9/11.  It's a beautiful thing, and such a shame you have to hope never to have the need to experience it, know what I mean?

    by Loquatrix on Sun Jul 10, 2005 at 05:35:02 PM PDT

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