By David Metz, City CouncilIn the days following the September 11th tragedies, I, along with most Americans, continue to struggle with how to make sense of these very senseless acts. Why would anyone inflict merciless terror upon so many innocent lives? What kind of statement--political, religious, or otherwise--could be so important that it could only be expressed in such a ruthless, indiscriminate way? How do we put the pieces together after such events?
These are not easy questions, and the answer may be a long time in coming. On the Friday following the attacks, however, I experienced a bit of how we can make sense of such seemingly meaningless acts. Many of my neighbors in the Meadows of Milford, my family, and I joined millions of other Americans in the lighting of candles to honor the victims of the attacks.
We had gathered together early to sing "God Bless America", "America the Beautiful", and our national anthem. We had moments of silence; we prayed; we said "the Pledge of Allegiance" to the flag. We cried, we hugged, and at precisely 10:00 p.m., we lit candles and raised them skyward. Much to our amazement, as we lifted our candles to the heavens, we watched as a plane flew overhead once again.
After a while, we did extinguish our candles-- but we did not extinguish the flame. We left our gathering with a renewed sense of community, with a rededicated sense of patriotism, and with a better appreciation for all those that have given their lives so that we might enjoy our freedom.
For many, especially our children, the events of September 11th have caused this flame to burn for the very first time. If in the days and months ahead we do not allow this flame to extinguish, but instead fan its flames by better understanding what it means to be Americans, we can begin to make some sense of otherwise very senseless acts.
