September 12, 2001 - The Skies Were....

"We woke this morning, to an empty sky."

It was eerie.  The Oce office was next to the runway at Ontario Airport, in the IE, SoCali.  Our windows overlooked the 10; Southwest planes landing every 10 minutes or so...

Not today.  No planes, no cars on the 10, the 91, 55, or 405.  For the few of us who did venture out or in, few words.

Watching those planes go, the bodies tumbling, and the towers rumble down, was incredible, heartwrenching, and "...more than anyone of us can bear..."

In the Deep Silence of September 12, the inability to contemplate such an act gave way to anger, then guilt - what could we have done to allow this?  How can somebody hate us so very much?

There may or may not have been "weapons of mass destruction" - We didn't care.

The nations states of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan may not have officially condoned - We didn't care.

Allies shaking in their boots, predicting our massive reaction, positing restraint - We didn't care.

In the resolute absence, we wanted  'big holes in the ground' somewhere.

It started that day.  The integration of all arms of the military and each intelligence agency.  Army, Navy, and Airforce coordinated attacks together - sailors, marines, and soldiers coalesced.  FBI deployed overseas, sharing data with the CIA, and military intelligence. 

The Patriot Act.  Metal detectors, long lines, in our airports, and disappearing receptionists - that's right up until September of 2001, salespeople were greeted(or shunned) by somebody at a desk in the lobby.

Not anymore.  Bulletproof glass, cameras, employee phone listing, and a phone waited in front of a locked door.

The times changed.

For over two decades we've seen independence and freedoms eroded in the name of security, in the name of health. 

The United States of America has been at war since its inception. Is it because we're inherently evil?

No.

The world has evil in it. The downing of the Towers didn't deliver Evil, it cast light on that forever present force, comfortable in our ignorance.

Today, 21 years later, the impact is felt in every facet of Life - you can almost smell charred remains; hear the distant crash of concrete, glass, and flesh.  

Unlike that day, the skies aren't empty.

911 - 21 Years

For as long as I can remember, I've played this video on 9/11.  Super Bowl 2002, months after the attack, our country was numb and jumpy.

Well before self-loathing Americans started calling our movements in the middle-east "invasion" and "occupation", patriotism was on every street corner.

I remember that night; I remember seeing it live.  I can't tell you the football teams playing, but I can say it was one of the deepest, most moving TV moments, ever.

U2 - that Irish rock band, stood on the world stage, honoring the greatest country on earth and her fallen citizens.  Names float to the sky, as the rousing "Where the Streets Have No Name" beats on.  The song, the second of the half-time set,  was written about a place without class stigma, where the distinction between religions and income is no more; a World Without Sin?

Bono ends the tune exposing the Stars and Stripes - Triumph.

Here we are, 15 years later - The Twin Towers, replaced by that defiant Freedom Tower, slip deeper into the fog with each passing 911.  The threat remains the same, if not more pronounced.

Do you honestly feel safer now than you did that faithful day of empty skies, September 12, 2001?

Day of cogitation: What have we learned?

On this day of reflection, consider not only the ones who've helped you see who you are, but remember the hearts you've "imprinted"; sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, friends, lovers and ex-lovers, customers, and co-workers.

Be gratified knowing you've changed somebody's life for the better - we all have.

Take time to remember those on the 98th floor, at 8:47 AM, sipping a Starbucks, considering a sales forecast or the regret of not saying "I love you, I always will..." on that morning, years ago.

"I want to run

I want to hide

I want to tear down the walls

That hold me inside

I wanna reach out

And touch the flame

Where the streets have no name..."

See the U2 half-time show - it is great.

What do, the Anti-WorkFromAnywhere movement, the Biden administration, and "V is for Vendetta" all have in common?

#WFA, Fighting for the Soul of Society

What is the common thread?  How do these points connect and what constellation is formed?

The Answer:

• Centralized, Authoritarian rule.  
• Propaganda-fueled messaging through controlled media.  
• Self-centered interpretation of established norms.  
• Elimination of a "higher power" and inalienable rights.  
• The demonization of those holding differing views. 
• Maximizing fear to leverage and presenting their solution as final.

What's this got to do with selling #copiers?  Nothing. EVERYTHING.