A Night at the 9/11 Memorial

By Craig Moorhead

NEW YORK, Nov. 17 - The last time I visited the 9/11 Memorial was September the 11^th of 2015, the 14th anniversary of the most devastating terrorist attack to occur on American soil. On that day, the square was packed with the bereaved and lachrymose. Men and women from all walks of life, including those in uniform, had come to commemorate that day of reckoning. Tonight I find a very different scene as I approach the Memorial Square. The night is very cold, and eerily silent for a place that was once at the center of the characteristic hustle and bustle of the Big Apple. Tonight those telltale sounds have been replaced with the tranquil calming of the waters of the twin fountains that mark the foundations where the former World Trade Center towers once stood. As I settle in to observe my surroundings I feel a bit of discomfort as a result of the atmospheric conditions. This is perhaps fitting, considering the gravity of what occurred here years ago.

On this evening, the crowd is thin. The recent cold snap may have driven many away, but some still linger. Of the few people present, most stand in solemn silence and respect. The other half are comprised of the polar opposite; the few who would rather smile and take selfies than honor the fallen. I ask a nearby security guard, who wished to remain nameless, about the types of visitors he witnesses each day. He agrees with my assessment, there is a dichotomy between those who come out of respect and those who come for the spectacle. For the latter group, this place which 14 years ago was filled with so much death and destruction is a tourist attraction. That selfie is just one more thing to cross off their bucket list. They do not see the memorial site for what it really represents. A monument to the fallen and a reminder of why we must remain ever vigilant in the ongoing struggle against terrorism.

To my surprise many French flags have found their way to the memorial alongside the more typically seen star spangled banner. Side by side with roses and other flowers, the placing of flags has become an informal tradition. These are frequently found left beside the names of the fallen that form the circumference of the north and south memorial pools. It would seem that for the people of New York, the 9/11 site has become a place where people come to honor and remember lives lost as a result of terrorism. Its role has grown to surpass its original purpose. Unfortunately in my lifetime 9/11 has become just one name in a long list of devastating acts of violence against the innocent. The memorial has become a gathering place to honor them all. Just days ago the One World Trade Center was illuminated with the colours of the French national flag, but as I look skyward this night the colours of its pinnacle spire have reverted to their normal state. I am struck by how quickly the world moves on to the next tragedy.

Of those few sojourners who have made their way here on this frozen evening, most congregate around the 'Survivor' tree, the near mythical piece of foliage that survived the flames and the smoke of that fateful day. It is a single piece of life shrouded in so much darkness and death. I think for many it stands as a symbol of hope and today it is encircled by tokens of condolence, countless bouquets of flowers which obscure the base of two pairs of flags, French and American.

As I wait and watch more people funnel out of the cold into the 9/11 Museum, choosing to pay their respects indoors rather than brave the elements. A group of women wish each other well and go their separate ways. Some passersby do not even stop to observe the monument that stands before them and neglect to interrupt their phone conversations as they pass by what in effect is a mass grave site.. This is 'just another day' for them, and the memorial garden is just part of their commute. Why do they pass by, not sparing a single second to remember and respect something that is bigger than all of us? As I think about what this says about the meaning of the 9/11 Memorial to New Yorkers, I turn to introspection for a potential answer. Personally, I do not like to go to the memorial too often. Though 9/11 was an important moment in my life and in the lives of so many, I find the more often I come here the more desensitized I am to the horror of what this place represents. Things are not always what they seem, and apparent indifference may be a mask for inner turmoil that is simply too great to be expressed on a daily basis. Perhaps, for these men and women who are forced to experience this every day, they have become numb to the tragedy that radically changed the world of today. While understandable, to do so in my opinion risks failing to heed the infamous warning, that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.