Important events

So i guess i'll do an obligatory 9/11 blog entry now, this being the first 9/11 of this blog.

Someone had the great idea of assigning all the COMM 140 classes readings about 9/11 for today.  Because, you know, dwelling on things often helps. 

i remember 9/11.

i was in seventh grade.  That was a pretty long time ago, i feel like.  9/11 happened before a lot of other important events in my life.  It happened before i...

• was in any major drama productions
• started playing jazz on my saxophone
• became a Christian 
• moved to Germany
• started high school
  
• traveled to Israel, Japan, or many of the countries in central Europe
• ever thought about college - i was just getting out of that phase where every son wants to be like his dad and i thought i was going to be in the army

And then there's this one, which i think is a pretty big deal.  9/11 happened before i met any single person i am currently in continuous contact with, other than my family.  i don't talk to, or even remember, a single person in that 7th grade civics class.  When i sat there at Saunders Middle School in Dumfries, VA, calmly thinking, "Hey, i wonder if today was one of the days when my dad had to go to the Pentagon?" i had no idea that years later i would know Jon, Sarah, Bethany, Hatch, Kellie, Sperry, Dan, Lori, Joel, Brittany, Matt, Will, Mereda, Rachel, Wyatt, Kevin, Seth, or Jesus.  My life is completely changed from what it was then, and it has nothing to do with those airplanes. 

What am i saying?  Often i am unsure, but this time i think i'm trying to make some point about how 9/11 is something completely in the past for me.  As far as my own personal life is concerned, i've moved on.  Was it a big deal?  Yes.  Did lots of people die unnecessarily?  Yes.  Are our soldiers still dying overseas?  Yes.  Unnecessarily?  i think maybe so.  For the life of me i still can't figure out just what we're doing in Iraq.  But that's a different thing altogether and i don't know enough to get into it right now.

So let's call this my conclusion.  It was stupid idea to read about 9/11 on 9/11.  It doesn't enhance our understanding of media more than it would on any other day, it just combines that understanding of media with a bunch of twisted memories that for all practical purposes no longer have tangible effects on most of our lives. 

Maybe i'm way off base.  It certainly wouldn't be the first time., and please tell me if you think i'm being an insensitive jerk about this.  But right now, this is what i'm feeling.  Let's move on as best as we can.  i apparently already have without even trying.