“The world isn’t being destroyed by democrats or republicans, red or blue, liberal or conservative, religious or atheist — the world is being destroyed by one side believing the other side is destroying the world. The world is being hurt and damaged by one group of people believing they’re truly better people than the others who think differently. The world officially ends when we let our beliefs conquer love. We must not let this happen.” -Andrew W.K.
This day, 13 years ago, I was on a 5-minute subway ride when the first plane hit.
I exited 23rd street and there was a gaggle of 100 or so, staring straight down 6th Avenue at the World Trade Center.
No one knew what was happening. It was a fluke.
A cause for curbside, neighborly discourse.
When a 2nd object hit the 2nd building, the worry escalated.
Cell phones were still working, and I was able to reach my mother in Illinois, who had more information from her television.
“They are saying it’s terrorists.” She told me.
I offered the information to the gaggle around me.
“No way.”
“That’s impossible.”
Some stood watching warily and others gingerly, perhaps hopefully, started to continue on with their day—with the optimism that this would be but an accidental blip with no cause for concern; I was in the latter category.
I was to be married in five days in Chelsea with my ceremony in further downtown, Tribeca. It was rare for me to be up so early in those days, but I was meeting my designer at the floral markets.
When the first of the twin towers fell, the city erupted into mass pandemonium. Instantaneously. All of a sudden, nothing could be dismissed as accident. George Bush’s voice started to boom from radios throughout the flower district.
I had to get back home.
Rushing downtown on foot through hoards of people running in the opposite direction, like a salmon pushing upstream, I watched the second tower fall straight down Sixth Avenue in front of me. I will never forget the screams that erupted in that moment.
They are called terrorists because they aim to terrorize.
That day, they were successful.
Our neighborhood was cut off from traffic for a week, and further downtown for months. Neighbors walked along the empty quiet streets, not quite knowing what to do with themselves. A bizarre feeling rang in the air of being grateful we were alive and mourning for the lost. The smell of their sizzling remains wafting uptown by the gentle September breeze reminded us at every moment what had just happened.
We were lucky, very lucky. I lost no loved ones that day. My heart breaks for the thousands that did. I cannot even imagine what the families must have to go through in their mourning and healing.
This day might seem like forever ago. ISIS and all the violence on the other side of the world might seem like a million miles away to us, when we are just trying to successfully build our business, family, friendships and life.
But on some level, we have to take ownership that, because we are one consciousness, we have created this situation.
And I know all of you beautiful conscious cats are most definitely part of the solution and not the problem.
The oft quoted, much mis-interpreted Gandhi:
“Be the change you wish to see in the world,” speaks perfectly to this.
So many see this as a call to action.
(Americans love call to actions.)
But it’s not. It’s a call to be the change within yourself.
It’s only by making that peace within ourselves that we naturally and authentically radiate, literally, a field of energy that touches and uplifts those around us. Our job is not to uplift them or conquer them or eradicate them.
It is just to be.
We awaken humanity by awakening ourselves.
I salute you, am humbled and honored by you that you have the courage to investigate and encompass this change.
Always, but perhaps especially today, my sincerest wish is that our peace within stretches to touch the world… and a prayer for that to be much sooner rather than later.
Namaste.
x
margaret
