It’s hard to believe that such a catastrophic event occurred during my lifetime, and like a lot of people I can remember exactly where I was when it happened. I was sat at my desk in the call centre. We started to get customers calling in and telling us on the phone that something was happening in America, then an employee (on a day off) rang the hotline number and alerted us all that something very serious was happening in New York City. I rang my Dad who was glued to Sky News, completely astonished by what he was seeing. By now I knew that two planes had hit the World Trade Center, but I had no idea as the day progressed of the worldwide impact the events would have, and nor could I comprehend that it was a deliberate act. It seemed like some horrible accident. The phones went very quiet that afternoon, as though everyone had stopped to watch what was happening in NYC. Seeing the footage of that terrible day, and the now familiar imagery of the damaged buildings looming out of the smoke has a numbing effect on me.

I cannot begin to appreciate what New York and her citizens experienced that day, and I pray that I never have to. It physically hurts to think of people going about their daily commute, getting to work and sitting at their desks, perhaps grabbing a coffee and having a chat to their friends on the way in and then suddenly, in an instant their lives are snuffed out by such a mindless act. We’re all witnesses to that..and to its repercussions.

I *never* thought I would ever see people jumping to their deaths en masse to try and escape an inferno..would I even be able to do that I wonder? Was it bravery, desperation or just sheer terror that empowered them with the strength to throw themselves out of that burning building? When faced with a crisis such as that how would I react? I have absolutely no idea…footage of the jumpers gets me every time. It’s believed that up to 200 people jumped to their deaths to escape the inferno. The worst part about it is that the fall would have lasted 10 seconds, but the height was not be enough render the jumper unconscious. Fortunately the 150mph plummet meant that death would be instantaneous, but that’s little comfort when you consider that 10 seconds is a very long time to fall….I’m thinking about 9/11 today and about all those who died and all the families who were torn apart by the events. I’m thinking of the people on the planes that crashed, in the buildings that were hit, and those who were on the ground. I’m thinking of the firefighters, the police officers, the emergency workers and the average Joe on the street. There’s no doubt that there were an unprecedented amount of heroes and heroines created that day, some lived, some didn’t…but they all deserve to be remembered for going through such an unthinkable tragedy, and I for one shall never forget them.

Click HERE to visit a Wikipedia article about ‘The Falling Man’. ( I also highly recommend that you follow the link therin to an Esquire article on the same subject) * IF* you can bring yourself to watch it, there’s a link at the bottom of the page to some footage from 9/11 that I actually think people should see. It’s hard for me to watch..in fact it makes me feel physically sick.

But my reasons for watching it are simple; I’ve watched it because I understand that it’s the feelings of revulsion that footage like this generates within us that motivates us all as individuals to fight against intolerance and apathy, and ultimately strive for peace.