How did you feel then? How do you feel now?

[mburbank]

"I had hoped that maybe we would become aware of not only our own mortality, but that which is shared by all of humanity."

Perhaps that's a naive hope, but I think it's key, at least to the then/now question you're posing.

The tragedy, violence and suffering of that day were awful (in the actual sense of the word). But when we began bombing Afghanistan, although I saw no real alternative and so 'supported' the response as much as I am personally capable of supporting violence, all I could think of is that where those bombs struck, human beings were suffering exactly, exactly the same tragedy, violence and suffering. And the survivors would live with the same loss and horror. To the people in an exploding building, the motivation of the people killing them is almost certainly meaningless. My guess is that for their survivors the knowledge that our killing was done in response, and with nobler motives and with the intention of killing combatants, is little comfort.

I am tired (literally, not sarcastically) of thinking about Blowback, fanatical hatreds, past foreign policy, tribalism. It seems more and more to me that we are hardwired to make each other suffer and the only differences between any two people is how hard the fight that hardwiring or how deeply they embrace it.

Kahl, while I hear you and understand your point about people all over the world suffering and dieing every day, and while I agree that the fact that that day those suffering and dieing were Americans does not make them more specail or valuable, it does not make them any less special or valuable either. But my sorrow on that day feels tainted by all the human suffering we have joined in bringing about since. Osama Bin Laden wanted a wider war and more people to hate America as deeply as he did. In both those respect, I believe he is winning.

Abcdxxxx, from your post, I take it you were there. If you'd said this before I missed it, but I don't read everything here. Beyond that fact, while I think I might take your meaning I'd far rather you spelled it out. I don't want to adress things you might mean.

Seth, you are always interesting. I was particularly intrigued by your mention of Vonnegut in connection with this. Initially hailed as a genius, public opinion came to regard him as... sophmoric? I'm not sure he's either, but I have been re-reading him and as a middle aged man find his world view moving and instructive, and I appreciatte him far more than my fan boy enthiusiasm when I read him as a teen. I find a comfort in his work that I failed to get when I was younger. I think he deserves to be taken far more seriously as a serious thinker than he generally is. And finally, I think (in fact I'm sure) Preech wasn't giving you shit. There may have been some level of sarcasm there, but it was his honest response.

Although I can't believe he didn't know what a solopsist was. Hey, Preech; They invented this thing called a dictionary? They even have them on line.