How Do They Feel? | Teen Ink

How Do They Feel?

September 7, 2011
By satellite23 GOLD, Cincinnati, Ohio
satellite23 GOLD, Cincinnati, Ohio
14 articles 0 photos 100 comments

Favorite Quote:
Prove it.


I wish I had a heroic story to tell. I wish I was there, amidst the rubble and smoke, saving innocent lives while the media captured my every move. I wish I was there with a video camera, recoding a historic documentary that would be put on every news channel in the country. I wish I was there, advising Mayor Giuliani about the attacks and how he should respond. I wish I was there, at the World Trade Center, feeling the adrenaline pulse through my veins on 9/11.

God, I’m so naïve. Why am I wishing for those things? The people that experienced the terrorist attacks on that horrific day were going through a living hell on September 11. I don’t want to experience that. I don’t want to save the lives of the victims and be put on the television. I don’t even want to imagine being there, at the World Trade Center, on 9/11.

God, I’m so naïve. I should want to be there and save the victims; be a hero. But I don’t. I don’t want anything to do with 9/11. I just want to block it out, pretend it never happened. But that makes me sound naïve. I can’t win, I am always so naïve.

I don’t even have an interesting story to tell about that day. I was just a normal 1st grader, wandering around the school, wondering why all of the teachers were crying. I slowly pieced together a simple explanation of what had happened as the day slowly went on. When I got home, my parents told me about the attacks. They told me about how the evil men killed a bunch of people by crashing airplanes into tall buildings. So, then I innocently asked my mom, “I thought metal was invincible. Does this mean that metal bend metal?” Oh, I soon learned that metal can do a lot more than bend metal. God, I was so naïve.

I still don’t know everything about the attacks. Last year, I wrote a fictional series of short stories that chronicles the fateful day of a World Trade Center employee. I got almost all of the facts about the attacks wrong. I described that the smoke in the buildings was clear enough that people could see through it. In fact, I didn’t even realize that the Twin Towers fully collapsed! God, I’m so naïve!

However, at least I’m not ignorant. I wish I could say the same about other people. Lately, I have been hearing rumors that the terrorist attacks were staged by the United States government. People have been scrutinizing the video evidence from the attacks and saying that a plane never hit the Pentagon and that bombs had been planted inside the Twin Towers. Those people are too ignorant to believe in George Bush, the President that they voted for. Those people are too ignorant to watch Bin Laden’s terrorist tapes in which he rants about the attacks and how successful they were. Those people, more than anything, are too ignorant to take a hard, solid look at the victims of that tragic day. How do the victims feel? How do they honestly feel?

I don’t know if the attacks were staged. I don’t even know most of the facts about the attacks. However, on thing that I do know is that thousands of people were killed on that tragic day. Thousands of families lost a loved one on that tragic day. Millions more were emotionally scarred on that tragic day. How do they feel? How do they feel when people tell them that the attacks weren’t real, that they were staged? More appropriately, how would You feel if You were one of those people that lost someone on that tragic day?

Think about it. Think about it long and hard, because You may be one of the people that fall victim to the next “staged” attack. How would You feel?

I don’t think the attacks were staged. I have as much of a right to my opinion as you do to yours. You can believe what you want but, God, you’re so naïve.


The author's comments:
People create staggering narratives to justify staggering losses.

Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 13 comments.


on Feb. 19 2013 at 2:29 pm
satellite23 GOLD, Cincinnati, Ohio
14 articles 0 photos 100 comments

Favorite Quote:
Prove it.

And thanks to all who read this to push it toward 600 views. Next up, 700!!!!! :)

on Feb. 19 2013 at 2:29 pm
satellite23 GOLD, Cincinnati, Ohio
14 articles 0 photos 100 comments

Favorite Quote:
Prove it.

Thanks Maggie! I love using my emotion to fuel my writing, that's what makes it good! If a piece of art doesn't have emotion, then it means nothing.

on Feb. 19 2013 at 2:28 pm
satellite23 GOLD, Cincinnati, Ohio
14 articles 0 photos 100 comments

Favorite Quote:
Prove it.

Thanks Katelyn! I'll be sure to check out a few of your pieces soon!

on Feb. 15 2013 at 10:04 pm
Maggie99 SILVER, Versailles, Kentucky
6 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. -Robert Frost

That was a well-written article. Unlike most, it is personal and includes a lot of your own emotion. That's the way it should be - it helps create your voice. Good job.

on Feb. 15 2013 at 5:00 pm
KatelynHanks GOLD, Henderson, Nevada
15 articles 0 photos 26 comments

Favorite Quote:
nothing last forever

I loved this! !!!! I lived near DC when this happend i was in kindergarden ! Awesome job. Check out osme of my work.

on Jan. 7 2012 at 2:02 pm
satellite23 GOLD, Cincinnati, Ohio
14 articles 0 photos 100 comments

Favorite Quote:
Prove it.

thanks for commenting and rating

on Jan. 7 2012 at 1:54 pm
Ms.Attitude06 BRONZE, Ghaziabad, Other
1 article 0 photos 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I am the only person in the world I should like to know thoroughly" - Oscar Wilde

Simply Awsum! :O

on Jan. 2 2012 at 6:31 pm
satellite23 GOLD, Cincinnati, Ohio
14 articles 0 photos 100 comments

Favorite Quote:
Prove it.

Thanks all who commented!

on Jan. 2 2012 at 1:59 pm
You basically put all of my thoughts on 9/11 into this. It's sickening how people think it's staged and how they are so ignorant. Until 7th grade I didn't know much about it either....I was 4 when it happened, but I can still remember the news broadcast. With all the background behind it, people should know the truth about it. But it's sad that they don't.

on Jan. 2 2012 at 1:47 pm
CaptainStar BRONZE, Estancia, New Mexico
2 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
Your limit is what you make it.

Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this has made me think and relieved me. Thank you for writing this. it's fantastic

on Jan. 2 2012 at 1:45 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." --Douglas Adams

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." --Marcus Aurelius

Excellent article on a touchy subject! I love how you repeat the line '...I was so naive.' and use it at the end of your article as well. I really have no criticism for this because your spelling and grammar are excellent and you don't dwell on one topic for too long. Great job and keep writing!

on Oct. 21 2011 at 4:29 pm
satellite23 GOLD, Cincinnati, Ohio
14 articles 0 photos 100 comments

Favorite Quote:
Prove it.

Thank you.

Little.Miss said...
on Oct. 20 2011 at 7:12 pm
This was pretty good. Deep, and pretty well-written.