There are days that indirectly affect us but are still quite difficult to experience. Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001. Another day that will live in infamy. Nearly 3,000 innocent lives taken by 19 fanatics.
My day began normally with a trip on the Metra SouthWest commuter train. However, before we reached downtown Chicago, people’s cellphones were ringing, and then it was mine that brought the news. Sandy called to tell me of two planes striking New York’s World Trade Center towers.
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When I arrived at work, all were already watching the available television sets. There were scenes of smoldering buildings and then a plume of smoke and debris as the first tower collapsed. Because of the melancholy atmosphere and the fact that nothing was being accomplished, all were sent home. At the time, one of my duties was to prepare the payroll due on the 15th, so I stayed to complete the task. Besides, it was rumored that all commuter train activity was suspended.
Leaving the office at 2 p.m., I noticed an obvious eerie stillness and silence. The only flight activity were birds. All flights were indefinitely canceled. Crossing the normally busy Desplaines and Adams Street intersection, I spotted eight vehicles looking on in all directions. On another block, I approached the only other pedestrian, an elderly African American individual who appeared that life could have been kinder to him. We chatted for maybe five minutes. Maybe we each needed the comfort of one another at that moment. Then we parted, and I thought how on a normal day we would pass, never acknowledging the other person.
The train ride home was a mix of people quietly reflecting on the day and those who wanted to share it with others. At work, I had been listening to Chicago radio station WXRT-FM 93.1. In unprecedented fashion, the morning DJ stayed on. When I got into my car for the short trip home, there were then four DJs attempting to comfort a city. The first song I heard was R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts.” A perfect summation of the day.
Our son, Bob, had stopped by the house to share the day. He arrived early enough to hear the F-16 fighter jets streak south to escort President George W. Bush’s plane back to Washington. As he left that night, we commented on how quiet it was with no flight activity.
Just then we heard a fighter jet circling over the Chicago area.
— Bob Paszczyk, Tinley Park
It all changed in an instant
Twenty-five years ago, I was studying for a spelling test in my family’s kitchen in Phoenix. Every day, my brother’s alarm clock would continually get louder as he snoozed through it. That morning, my mom paused mid-practice test when the news announced that a plane had crashed into the Pentagon.
I insisted we finish the practice test because the announcement, even to a 12-year-old, seemed farfetched. After finishing the test, we turned on the news and watched in horror as people jumped from the towers in New York City, buildings collapsed and my father proclaimed that we were going to war, although the enemy was still unclear amid the chaos of the day.
Every year, I get emotional on this day. I picture the regular people going about another Tuesday: business executives stressing over a report, administrators keeping an office in order, bright-eyed new hires entering the workforce in cool Manhattan high-rises, people flying home to loved ones or heading across the country on a business trip, friends grabbing coffee and gossiping about colleagues, police officers and firefighters clocking in expecting another day of routine calls.
Then, instantly, everything changed for everyone, everywhere.
Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Sept. 11 this year. Although I’m not Jewish personally, I believe deeply in the themes of personal reflection that are central to it: considering the mistakes we’ve made, apologizing to those we’ve hurt, asking for forgiveness, changing our behavior and building a foundation for a better year ahead.
The world can change in an instant. Let’s work to make peace with those around us while we have the chance.
Shanah tovah.
— Paul Cronkhite, Chicago
The unity that followed 9/11
With the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, there is something important that I think everyone should remember.
On the day this terrible event occurred and for the following few weeks and months, our country was united in a way not seen since World War II. Everyone felt the sickening harsh reality that this had happened on our sovereign soil and that it was meant to be an affront to everyone who felt pride in being an American.
Showing your pride for your country at this time was not considered jingoistic. It was an intrinsic feeling nearly everyone I encountered at that time had.
In the ensuing years, we have let petty differences and imagined crises come between us. Political viewpoints have become cudgels to use against the opposite party’s electorate if they do not agree with your opinion.
In no small part, the internet and social media have helped create these temperaments fraught with contempt bordering on hatred.
I hope we never have another day like we did in 2001. But it would be nice if we, as patriots, could find our way back to being the United States of America.
— Hayward Simpson, Lake City, Florida
A threat to disability rights
Barring intervention from a federal judge, legislation passed by the Illinois General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker permitting doctors to help patients with a terminal condition end their lives will go into effect on Saturday.
Cardinal Blase Cupich, along with Catholic nuns who care for the elderly poor, have challenged the law in federal court. Yet many who oppose physician-assisted suicide do not do so for religious reasons. In fact, the first lawsuit filed was brought on behalf of advocates for people with disabilities. They argue that the law is discriminatory, making it more difficult for people with disabilities to overcome societal prejudices — especially where it concerns their healthcare and medical insurance coverage.
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Simultaneously, Jimothy — the Seattle racoon with “short spine syndrome” — has become an internet sensation. There are Jimothy T-shirts, a “Hot Jimothy Summer” night at the Seattle Mariners ballpark and now a “Jimothy tattoo” trend. How could he not capture the hearts of people everywhere? He’s adorable.
Also, he has a physical disability. While his condition does not seem to affect his mobility, it is visible nonetheless. Social media comments marvel at his agility and ninja-like moves, in spite of his unusual stature.
The Americans with Disabilities Act, the federal law that protects people with disabilities, requires that public spaces accommodate those with physical limitations and prohibits discrimination against them in government programs. It was instrumental in sensitizing the country to the fact that those who have physical challenges have the same dignity and worth as any able-bodied person — and are similarly entitled to the very best healthcare.
“End-of-life options” laws threaten to undermine and even undo much of the good brought about by the ADA. Studies show that most people with disabilities do not want to end their lives, even when they are terminally ill. Instead, they want compassion, respect and access to excellent medical care.
A society that can turn a physically challenged raccoon into a celebrity can certainly do better than legally sanctioning the suicides of those approaching the end of life. Jimothy’s popularity has — perhaps unintentionally — raised public awareness of the importance of accepting people with illness or disability.
A truly tolerant society does not dictate which lives are worth living. It includes and protects us all.
— Mary FioRito, Cardinal Francis George fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center
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