Today marks the anniversary of September 11th attacks. Commemorating the thousands of lives lost on September 11, New Yorkers are holding ceremonies and remembrances Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

It is a year since the terrible atrocities of September 11 in New York and Washington. But the memory of that catastrophic day remains seared in our collective memories in much the same way that Hiroshima and Nagasaki are a recurring nightmare in the consciousness of the older generation of Japanese.

The September 11 trauma was so great even for us in Asia as we experienced the horror vicariously on television; how much more must it have been for most Americans and for those whose loved ones and colleagues were there.
So many innocent people lost their lives – 2,803 human beings, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, colleagues, friends were vaporized, burnt and buried when the World Trade Center crumbled.

The terror was relentless, made all the more savage by the suddenness and the scale.

In New York and throughout the United States, the tragedy engendered an unprecedented feeling of national solidarity not seen since World War II. People from all walks of life and ethnicity responded to the national emergency as one. Indeed, September 11 succeeded in fracturing lines around color, religion and ethnic origin like no anti-segregation laws had ever done.

Miracles on September 11 were rare but they did occur. Some 20 survivors escaped death by the skin of their teeth. In apocalyptic scenes, they emerged against all odds from hellish tombs to see the sunlight. We would like to think that their survival gives the world a ray of hope and an enduring desire for peace.

Since last September, thousands of innocent people have been killed in pursuance of the so-called “war on terrorism”, a war that looks set to claim the lives of thousands more.
As we commemorate and grieve for those who perished on September 11, let us pray for another miracle: That war – all wars – will be averted allowing wisdom and peace to prevail.

Only then will September 11 be remembered as the day that truly changed the world forever that it made the world a better place for us and for our children.

Written By : Shobha Tsering Bhalla
Taken From : Lycos Asia