I often think of how we would have looked at the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on our country had we been immersed with social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others. Information, right, wrong or speculative, certainly would have been in front of us in a much quicker fashion. We would have most likely had many more angles of the planes hitting the towers and probably even better footage of Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon. With that flow of information, however, would have come even more images that were agonizing for many of us.
Even with the flow of information that day, we were mostly sparred the really graphic images of those caught up in the carnage. Today, it would likely be a lot different. What we consumed on a tragedy of that scale would be 10-fold today. And it would be even tougher to erase those images from our conscious.
How we record history is just one of many ways we look at the world differently after 9/11.
Tall buildings, air travel, security - all of it took on a completely different meaning in our minds from Sept. 12, 2001 through today and beyond.
I went to Facebook this week to ask people what has changed in their worlds and I got some fascinating responses.
Briefly, for me, travelling by air has been the toughest change of all for me.
My anxiety regarding flying the friendly skies has skyrocketed since 9/11.
Katy Kelly Lautzenhiser can relate: "Today, I get extremely anxious flying, to the point of taking Dramamine before boarding to escape sickness-induced fear. Simply approaching TSA Security evokes a panic of harassment, or unjustified guilt."
The little things annoy us - TSA, liquid containers, longer lines, pat-downs.
And then there are those things we are not supposed to openly discuss or question, things that make us uneasy at the airport, or on the plane, or, quite simply, just a vibe we get.
Every person that stands up during a flight is looked at a little longer. Every interaction with a fellow passenger a little less cordial.
The change in air travel procedures ranked on many lists as a big post-9/11 change.
"Even 13 years later, every day air travelers are impacted by the increased security measures that took effect due to 9/11, whether it be the shoes you choose to wear because you'll have to take them off, the liquids/lotions in your suitcase, whether you put something in a carry-on bag or in checked baggage, etc., not to mention the TSA agents, the random bag checking, earlier check-in, increased emphasis on correct documentation ... " - Darla Hall
Referencing Martha Boyd, a trauma expert with TMC-Lakewood Counseling Services in Lee's Summit, Lee's Summit resident Sage Norbury agreed the visual trauma has stuck with us, noting: "I believe that we are suffering from 'societal PTSD.' Our subconscious minds couldn't tell the difference between the first time the plane hit the building and the 389th time (when we incessantly watched the replays). I see trauma signs in the majority of my patients, but most of them never even think of it like that."
Friend and fellow journalist James Dornbrook, a reporter with the Kansas City Business Journal, noted his increased appreciation for what our fire and police do on a daily basis. A wise observation amid the travel talk.
Chris Drake, a childhood friend, said: "I am even more cautious of my surroundings than I ever was no matter the date, time or area. Always on alert. It occasionally gets tiresome but I refuse to be a victim or caught off guard. Can't let evil win. I have people who depend on me."
Another childhood friend, Jim McCollum, noted his caution when he sees a plane overhead, wondering if that aircraft is in control and will it land. I would have thought that unreasonable pre-9/11. Not now.
I was particularly moved by this statement from Pat Larkin from Blue Springs. Pat really brings it back to what is important, saying: "Coming from New Jersey, right across the river, I think of my family more and more. I now never end a conversation without saying I love you. It was a scary day for all of us, had one nephew ready to get on a plane to California, friends in NY. I grew up watching those towers being built, it broke my heart to see them go down."
A fellow journalism peer and now a fantastic teacher of future journalists, Christina Paulsell Geabhart brought an interesting point of view on the history of 9/11 and her students: "For my seniors, it was their sophomore year, some saw it classrooms. For others, It happened during their upper elementary and middle school years. They watched that news unfold uncensored by parents oftentimes.
Now students don't seem to grasp the magnitude. They were infants or toddlers and never knew it happened between Elmo and Dora. It's just another note in the history books for them."
And mirroring that love for her family, my friend Shannan Godley Cunniffe had a particularly astute look at it: "Our lives are so fragile - they could turn on a dime in an instant. I think about my children, and how as their steward - their protector - it is my duty to shelter them as much as possible, to let them know they are loved unconditionally, to try as much as possible to give them the kind of childhood that I had - filled with innocence and joy and laughter - not the worry and stress and horror that comes with an event like 9/11. Who would have ever imagined? How could we have?"
Amen Shann. And thank you all for sharing.
I believe that in that sharing, we all continue to heal.