Was 9/11 a blessing...?

Question

...in some respects? Please do not misinterpret this question, of course I realise it was an atrocity and a terrible loss of innocent life that tore families, friends and even entire neighbourhoods apart. For what it is worth I truly do offer out my sympathies to all those directly affected by the horrors of that day.

But, on the other hand, did it not unite a people with a common cause, highlight the dangers in the world and make us realise just how much we take for granted in our day to day lives? Did it not bring us closer together in some respects?

Please do not answer this question if you have not understood my point.

Thanks.

Answer 1

you are an idiot. The "unity" it created simply caused the death of others. What a completely STUPID question.
2pts

Answer 2

9/11 is a day that will never be forgotten…hopefully. I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was a day that I cried for those that I have not met, nor would I ever meet. It was a day where America came to the realization that We are not as untouchable as we once thought.

I recognize what you are trying to say. You are not claiming that the horror that happened that day was the blessing; you are talking about the aftermath… the things that occurred after the attack.

I remember hearing about this little girl’s quote after the attack and the towers fell. She said to her mother, ‘Mommy…look, everyone is gray…’ She noticed on this day that the people who were escaping the wreckage were no longer white or black. Everyone was gray that day.

Not a single person went without pain and tears. I heard everyone was at least four people from knowing someone in the towers. (EX; I know a person who knows a person who knows a person in one of the towers.) Isn’t that an amazing thought? That everyone is that close to the victims?

I think after the attack, in many ways it was a blessing. America came together and became the feared nation that everyone knew. We stood up on our own two feet, and cleared the wreckage in six months when it should have taken two years. In every store American flags were sold out for months on end. Every car and house had an American flag somewhere. We were not a nation those months, we were a family, morning our loss, and caring for one another.

But sadly, like everything, we began to heal, and to forget. As the years went by American flags went back inside. Memorials became forgotten, and the day of September 11th was just recognized by a few autobiographies by some survivors. We, America is moving on and forgetting slowly.

I guess what I am trying to write down is that the days after September 11th was amazing, and was a blessing. But only after a year and a half, we began to forget. There is a difference between healing, and just forgetting and not caring anymore. I fear for another attack which I am almost certain will occur. And I fear that by that time, America will have forgotten September 11th so much, that our security will have fallen back into the status it was before that dreaded day.

Answer 3

Of course, 'Blessing' is plain inflammatory. And the consequences of stirring the American people have been nigh disasterous for several conflicts around the globe.

Indeed, the belligerent stance of the US has coloured most aspects of policy emanating from that country. In that respect, too, the consequences have been far from peaceful. Not only the extremists are at war, but the US too.

I suspect that you mean that the rest of the world has responded to the situation by having, through state-conscious neccesity, to remain observers to the American war. While at the same time developing a new economic structure; though that has less to do with 9/11 and more to do with high levels of liquidity - and overcapacity - and the previous investment in new markets.

If the benefit of coming together should be attained then it would have been distinctly preferable not for it have been under the banner of defending an American way of life, the consumerist and disposable and nuclear community. And also markedly self-righteous (see former foreign policy).

What we take for granted is how much we waste and how much energy we consume. If anything, 9/11 has distracted the American people, at least enough of them, from this.

Answer 4

I understand what you are asking... a blessing in disguise of sorts right? My BF was one of the firefighters who responded to the towers but i did not know him at the time. It is so hard to hear him reflect what happened in NYC and i could NEVER imagine. I think the US needs to realize how many people did LIVE after that atrocity. For some reason we tend to focus on all the heros that died that day not all the heros that LIVED that day.
But i for one can agree with you. While it is hard to accept all the loss that was suffered look at how the Americans united shortly after. BUT I don't think that Americans have kept that unity because look how torn we are regarding the Iraqi war. While we were united for a time, a nation devided is not all that strong.

Answer 5

I understand your point completely. And I have thought alot about this one. I would say that folks are just as spiritually empty as they were before 9/11. If you noticed, the first thing that George W. Bush announced to the public is to go shopping right away after the incident happened. To get the economy pumping. And you know what? Many folks did. Instead of looking inside themselves and really examining their lives, they went shopping. Look at the media nowadays. It is more celebrity driven than ever. Instead of focusing on real issues, we have to hear about Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton every night. And you know why that stuff is aired in the first place? Because sadly, there is a major demand. In the direct aftermath of 9/11, some people dug deep and changed for the better. They became less materialistic and really did try to be better people. But that faded. Things quickly went back to the same old crap. People became more materialistic than ever. The demand for massive gas guzzling SUV's skyrocketed after the incident. Folks still have very little understanding of foreign affairs and international affairs. They have very little understanding of politics. I just can't believe people sometimes. I really can't.

Answer 6

Unfortuantely the initial sense of national purpouse seems to have eroded as Americans bicker over the post 9/11 strategy adopted by the administration. I'd say Republican and Democratic opinions regarding national security are probably now farther apart than they were before 9/11.

While it probably is a good thing that terrorism is taken more seriously, I also question how effective many of the measures taken to prevent terrorism have really been. Just my 0.02.

Answer 7

i wouldn't exactly say it was a 'blessing' because of all the negative after-effects it had, not just for the US but for the whole world. the war against terror started and it hasn't seen an END yet...and more lives (innocent and NOT innocent) are being eliminated in the search for Bin Laden...

you could try watching - http://www.loosechange911.com/ - it kinda changes your views about 9/11...

YES, i'd say it was a good thing that people got together for a single cause, and made us more aware, and that even the US is vulnerable to danger...but it DID happen at the expense of innocent people's lives...so, i'd say it was more of a "wake up" call than a blessing.

Answer 8

Well, it did make people start second guessing others. Which is not a good thing. We are all paranoid now. That is also not a good thing. Lastly, no sense of unity in the world is worth the amount of lives lost during 9-11. That kind of thought pattern is identical to muslim fundamentalist.

Answer 9

i too agree with you although 'blessing' probably isnt appropiate but i would find it hard to find the right words. to think that those sick people who planed and executed 9/11 probably celebrate each year as we remember them and their loved ones they left behind. i will never forget those poor souls who all saw death as thier only option when they hurled themselves out of the buildings and then the ones trapped in the towers waiting to die,as well as the innocent plane passengers and the firecrew and other rescuers that perished that day.
It really made me anti muslim for a while but as the days went by i realise its the militants who somehow can live with themselves for what they have done that need to be exterminated

Answer 10

It was a godsend if you had already been preparing for a military action in Afghanistan for some time previous to it. And if you want to act on behalf of Isral to remove the threat posed by Saddam Hussein and gain control over a lot of oil.

Answer 11

It wasn't a blessing. I will agree with you that tragedies of any sort, be they like this one, earthquakes, or simply the death of one person who was loved by so many people will unite people in grief. You have to stick together to get back on your feet but I don't think anyone will ask for the death of someone in order to unite a community.