STORM2K

September 11th knocked the wind out of all of us. Even though we didn't know it at the moment, we somehow realized even that morning that our lives were about to change...and change for the worse.

At no time that morning did I really feel as though I was going to be a target that day. Nor that my family would be. I didn't feel personally at risk even when planes kept hitting buildings.

But we all felt pain and agony that became personal as the hours and days went on. We all lost something that we cherished...the security of living in this country. We knew the risk had been there. But it was so much easier to accept somehow when the ugliness of war and hate and killing was somewhere else. In Vietnam, in Iraq, or just about any other place. But not here on our soil.

So what is it that keeps us so "on edge" these days?

I live in a big city, yet I don't believe I am at great personal risk. Just like that day, I somehow picture "the next attack" will be somewhere else, not on my doorstep. That may be unrealistic, but it is how my brain has prepared me for "what's next."

I suspect what we are really afraid of is that life with risk will be followed by life with pain and killing right here in the U. S. of A. And with that next attack will come the exclamation point on the reality that our lives will indeed change from here on out. In 2005, 2006, 2010, and beyond. Never to be the same as it was pre-9/11.

We will realize that it wasn't just something that happened and we will recover from. It is something that started on 9/11 and our kids and their kids will now have to deal with.

That realization is what we are afraid of. And, of course, the understanding that anger and hate will play a larger part in our daily lives than we ever thought. Sadness too.

So, are you personally "afraid" for your life and the life of your family and friends, or is it something else?

I'm not afraid, but there's plenty that I worry about.
The day-to-day concerns seem to dominate my thoughts: Food, shelter, clothing, keeping my kids out of jail, my ill mother-in-law, getting to work on time, my own mortality...

I have to go with the odds. There's more chance of being killed in an accident on the freeway, or dying of a heart attack. So I do worry about other drivers, and staying healthy. That could change of course.

I look at all the astounding things that have happened throughout history. Horrible things and great things. Mankind moves onward. And even during those horrible times, most people worry about the same things, food, shelter, clothing. Maybe even more so.

The history of mankind is a meandering river, with still spots, rapids and waterfalls. We're just trying to keep our raft afloat, and the river doesn't care.

I do vote my conscious, write an occasional letter to the editor, try to show my kids the right way, do good work, and try to make a difference in my community.

No matter how you prepare, there will be something that you're unprepared for. There may be a waterfall around the bend!

what worries me the most...

Getting old.

What keeps me on edge is pretty much what you stated Steve.

I don't feel safer than I felt pre 9/11, but that I believe had more to do with the fact that 9/11 was something that could've never been imagined, regardless of the warnings our government had received. The whole thing was inconceivable.

I realize that our government has been and is continuing to work on our nation's security and that we are probably safer than we were before. There's still a long way to go and improvements were not going to happen overnight. Inspite of all of this I doubt I'll ever "feel" as safe as I did pre 9/11, and that is only because my eyes were opened on that day.

I'm on edge because of the polarization of the country as well and I'm sure that it'll be this way for at least another Presidential term, regardless of who wins this one. Until we find someone that can bridge the gap and unify this nation, we will still be a country of people that snipes at each other and at those abroad.

Oh yes, there's the daily concerns of bills, retirement savings, medical issues, family and pet issues, but oddly enough and perhaps fortunately for me now, they are minor in comparison to my anxiety to what I discussed above.

That would require a very articulate answer. My fear is that the world will soon be divided, we would think because of religion but in reality because of business.
Just consider how many places in the world live under many fears: tiranny, hunger, terrorism, thirst, poverty.
US and the other western countries hold the 90% of world resources, and just 10% of the whole population. We are keeping this unbalance at our best, just acting in the world to save our own business. Period.
To make an example, US is managing so that South America is kept as a turbolent place, easily exploiting and under control.
We all are managing so that Africa is a poor place, ready to be exploiting according to our needs.
Now somebody heavily reacted to this foreign policy. 9/11's fault has its roots well before 2001, well before Clinton.
A big conscience's examination wuold be required...

I remember fearing for my life on 9/11. I had never had that feeling before - never. When the plane first went down in Pennsylvania, the news media was saying that it went down just East of Pittsburgh. Well, while driving home that morning, I was scared, I mean more scared than I have ever been in my life. I kept looking to the sky for more planes. I was driving East of Pittsburgh and I work in EAST PITTSBURGH.

Anyway, I fear for the future of my children and grandchildren. I know my parents had the same fears for me and my children during the Cold War years.

I try not to worry about those things which are not in my control. I hope my family does the same and enjoys each moment of each day. It does us good to talk about it, but not to the point where anxiety and depression rule your life.
Karan