WOW stories presents: 9/11 The day America succumbed

September 11, 2001

American pride, something that is deeply rooted when you are an American, and to tell the truth, it is a positive sentiment as long as you do not affect others with any act of xenophobia or racism, something that incidentally Americans are accused of on certain occasions (unfortunately).

Is there a reason to hit that pride?

We speak about the United States, the most powerful country in the world, it would be impossible to achieve that, we are a country so powerful that nothing can affect us, but unfortunately, that is an idea that only fits in the head of few.

Every day we live in times of corporate bombing that keeps us busy in the bubble of harmony and we ignore those that happen out there, beyond what we know and that is outside these "freedom" barriers.

Our national symbols and monuments of course make us proud of where we come from, to see who does not feel marvelous with a good "God bless America" or just sit and look at the imposing image of our statue of Liberty. How about to go through Times Square, go through Wall Street and see the economic power that is built there, and at the end of the day, enjoy a good game of our powerful Yankees and their more than 20 world series. This is life.

New York has plenty of cafes, something more than bragging, so enjoying a good burger is not bad, and if we add a nice waitress who is also attentive, nothing can be missing.
Tuesday, good day to miss work, I guess nothing will happen, we live in the best country in the world, and that can be remedied. Today is a wonderful day; maybe today I decided to buy that suit (you know, problems of the first world).

What a calm day, if I were a paranoid subject I would say something bad is about to happen, but in the United States that cannot happen! Our supremacy does not allow negative things to affect our perfect society.

Something really catches my attention, even though New York is our pride, cultural diversity here is abysmal, I see people from all over here, for something is the "capital of the World" but here everything goes, we are big, America is.

Walking through New York gives me an air of quite great harmony and it's too early to feel it, so this looks wonderful, it's almost nine o'clock and I still have not been called because I did not go to work, maybe they do not notice my absence. Carl has not called what it means that it has not been important to relax one day and fake a slight flu. Great. And to think that I work with "Workaholics" that if they saw me in the street they would not realize it.

Look at that bird fly... but what the fuck is going on?! Many people running scared cannot be normal. I hear sirens, better see what happens ... No way, I see smoke, that's the street where I work, and I just heard the desperate cry of a lady, if what I heard is right, her son is there. What the hell is going on? I better hurry up and find out. Shit ... it cannot be ... this ... this does not happen here ... I want to vomit ...

According to my clock is 9:00, the buildings are full of smoke, well, at least one, and everything around here is fear and confusion, people talk about a plane that crashed, that cannot be true ... That's not true it happens here! People are devastated, they must already have died, but, but, this is driving me crazy ... It cannot be! What I'm seeing is ... It's a fucking plane approaching the Towers!, what's this?! The plane hit everything in its path; there are flames, fear, and destruction ... May God save us.

Despair is imminent, people trying to use their cell phone with the hope that they will say: "I'm fine", any of their friends or relatives inside those buildings, from here the pain of mothers who watch on television as the life of their children and spouses fade in an oppressive flame of pain. I do not know what happens but in these second United States is at the mercy of the world, we are so fragile that even a bullet of cotton would pierce our chest.

At this point I am certain that my friends are under stone and ash, they did not deserve it, they were working, doing their job, being useful to society, and never saw this atrocious act coming, they did not deserve this. We are the best country in the world, and at this moment we kneel before misfortune and misfortune.

December 1st. 2001 (Two months after 9-11)

December is already beginning, and I'm certainly still scared, many things have happened. Nobody stops talking about the attack on television, they say that we were violated, there is talk of a military intervention in one of those countries in the Middle East, and everything is confusing. Here we share the same feeling, for some reason, we are united and we feel the American being as something different. You can go through any street and hear the cries of pain of many people as if the moment were still living.

And in spite of everything, the world keeps turning, and America keeps moving forward. A certain Steve Jobs launched an "Ipod" to listen to music, and I'm sure the corporate trash will sell millions this Christmas. I hate the Mets, but that Home Run of Piazza in an act of commemoration after the attack made me cry with emotion, we looked like one, the hope of a country was summed up in a ball flying out of the park. On the other hand, it is not that it has been the best year for us, we just lost a world series and we are left with the desire to celebrate. It could have been good for our ego.

If paranoia were my style, I would say that everything seemed very orchestrated and organized by powers beyond terrorism. The organization and order that Washington had to address the situation, was not what was seen in the streets of New York flooded with confusion and pain that lashed. Our trust is now in the government, they will know what to do to make us better. Fear consumes us, and they will help us.

Are we still the most powerful country? Yes. There can be no power without having suffered.