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Thursday, September 12, 2002


"9-11 +1" ... - Wednesday, September 11, 2002 -

I was up late last night (Tuesday), but by my own choosing. I didn't work on Tuesday, so, I figured I might as well work on a few projects on my day off, especially since I didn't work today, Wednesday, either.... Needless-to-say, the project I was working on for most of those late night hours was certain graphical design changes to this website (you may have noticed a slightly different color scheme, and a 'newly designed' main page...).

Well, anyway, I don't need, or want, to get into those site updates. Suffice it to say, I like the design of my site a whole lot better than before, but that's really just the artist in me talking. When all was said and done, I probably went to bed about 4 or 5 am Wednesday morning....

I awoke, 'officially', to this day of remembrance perhaps about 12:30 pm or so. I was actually well-rested. Perhaps, though, like many fellow Americans, I had this odd feeling somewhere deep inside that something bad had happened today, on this anniversary of the horrendious attacks on America just one year ago. I got out of bed, showered (still wondering if I was oblivious to something on the news), and flipped on the television..... Thankfully, there was no new bad news to report as I had feared. Just countless reports, features, and interviews regarding the anniversary.

I actually ended up spending the majority of my day (when I was here in the apartment, and not on campus doing a little research as most of my afternoon afforded me) just sitting by the television watching the Fox News (Cable) day-long reports on the events of today one year ago, and the year that had followed until now. Call me soft-hearted if you will, but my eyes were slightly moist at times.

The events of 9-11-01 will go down in the history books and likely eventually fade to a remembrance, much like we think of Pearl Harbor, but the truth is, living in the now, and living through this, certainly gives us all (or should give us all) an idea of how important life is, no matter what race, color, or religion we are. We, as Americans, are blessed to live in a country whose ideals are founded upon freedoms overlooked in many other places of the world. We must remember those ideals and not be afraid to share them with others that they too may enjoy them someday. ... And we must strive to learn, and put into practice the ideals of love and tolerance that these inhuman, power-hungry, and perversely Anti-freedom-loving terrorists have no capacity for.

"All it takes for evil men to succeed, is for good men to do nothing."
- Author unknown

I know it probably sounds bad of me to say, but don't get me wrong, I in no way agree with the terrorist mindest.... But, I was thinking today, maybe we get so caught up in revenge (which, honestly, I think is warrented in some way or another), that we forget to see that perhaps the 9-11 attacks were a 'good thing.'

No, the loss of life, the inhuman waste of those lives to serve as unwitting weapons of mass destruction, and the innitial terrorist motivations were not that 'good thing'.... but the 'result' (from a Biblical standpoint) perhaps was. (I'm sure you've heard this before, but I feel like elaborating here anyway....).... Before the events of 9-11, we, as Americans, were essentially living the 'high life'...- impenatrable, unsinkable, overly proud, rampantly immoral,.... and forgetting about God. Like the Biblical Israelites of 'Ancient times' it took God allowing some kind of destruction or defeat of His people to set them back on the right track.... the track which included Him foremost in their lives.

Granted, times are different now, -- new technologies, new ideas, and thicker history books, -- but it still took the loss of three thousand lives, the destruction of two icons for freedom and commerce, and an attack at the heart of our military to get us to turn back to God. Ironic isn't it? Maybe there is truth to the old saying, "Times change, but people don't." I just pray that it's a long time before it takes God allowing another tragedy to bring us back to Him. We're a rather fickle people, us humans. Afterall, we are sinful. But the truth is, in a country founded on God and the freedom of religion, it's just sad that prior to 9-11, we had become so self-righteous and forgetful of that God that it took disaster to remind us.

Don't get me wrong, I love America, I truely do. I appreciate the freedoms we are granted. It's just sad how strong those parallels seemed to exist between us and 9-11, and the Israelites of old and their string of lacking trust in the Lord, disaster, and then return to Him, only to repeat the process again and again. I don't believe wholly on luck. I do believe that God always has a hand in things, no matter what they may be. Yes, America is a great nation (I won't dispute that), but we just have to remember, we, like those ancient Israelites, are not immune to the effects of how we live our lives.

A year has passed now since those deadly acts of terrorism on our country. We learned that we are not that great unsinkable Titanic of a country. We also learned to look away from our own selves and OUR accompishments and OUR OWN worth and greatness, and to see that there is a higher power we have neglected -- a God who loves us and wants us to rely more on HIM than our own deeds. I think THAT is a lesson we have to remember from all this, as we mourn the deceased, rebuild what was lost, and seek to root out those whose inhumanity and lack of love engineered all this.

"... These terrorists sought to destroy our country, but they have only made it stronger."
-- President George W. Bush

Let's not forget this lesson, and, let's remember where that source of strength really comes from. I pray that God is able to continue to work in the hearts and minds of all of us, and that we not forget to rely on Him throughout.

My heart goes out to the families of those victims, and true heroes of this sad memorialized event today. I wish everyone a blessed day today, and tomarrow,.... as we continue on with the course of these post-9-11 weeks, months, and years. God Bless.

Your fellow American, friend, or relative,
-Jon Baas

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Jon Baas

Blogging Since 2002!
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