Explosions in each tower leave hundreds helpless inside; many more scream from the ground as the cloudless September sky fills with a gray mist of debris. Up above, people look down towards the pavement as the ever embracing thoughts fill their minds, pulling them closer to the edge, each thought getting louder and louder. There is nothing we can do; nothing can stop this horrible attack. We are forced to watch on the sideline and capture each smell, sound, and sight that hits us: The crunching and breaking of bones as bodies begin raining from the skies; the smell of the disintegrating towers and burning flesh. The concrete and steel pillars begin to collapse, on the entire frame; massive amounts of power and weight build behind them, as they turn into a horror by themselves. Causing people to run and flee, to get out unharmed, but some are unlucky enough to move out of its path only to be crushed by rubble falling onto onlookers below.
This day marks a hole in many people’s hearts. We didn’t ask for this; we didn’t even suspect it. There was an attack made on the towers. In 1993, there was a car bomb in the basement of one of the towers, which was later found out to be caused by Al-Qaeda. But how could we ever predict such a catastrophic attack as this?
The answer lies not only on our armed forces and spies, but with our government. Our security depends on a network of allies and other countries established by years of amity and bloodshed. In our eyes, the World Trade Center was causing no harm, but good. To the newly-blacklisted terrorists called Al-Qaeda, it was a problem. It went against their beliefs, their ideology; even their religion called it an abomination. So why to this day do we still have people calling this attack on such a prodigious building a hoax?
The media began explaining the attacks almost immediately, but like a newly-formed virus, people began to think up their own ideas. At first, few would believe their rants; their newly-built websites spilling out their babble of a world full of crime and anarchy in America would not attract many to their side. But in America, we have the power of free speech; we can use these tactics as vise grips to get what we want. Even sending a phony complaint letter to a company will get us free things.
But a rant and rave about the government staging a plot to destroy the Twin Towers: what would that achieve? They certainly wouldn’t get free money from them; in retrospect, shouldn’t they be called a heretic, even stamped as an anarchist?
The internet is plastered with websites claiming to uncover hoaxes, corruption, and crime. Most are portraying something that is not there, something that just one man sees. It seems harmless.
But in the time of need that man pulls our eyes from the truth, and shows us blasphemy. How can anyone know the truth? In a world full of liars, do-gooders, and con-men, how do we know what’s right and wrong? It's simple; we don't.
We perceive what is right and wrong by our beliefs; we stand up for what we believe is right, and we most certainly don’t change our beliefs; we worship them. We put our own ideas down as facts, rather than opinion. We insist that the Towers were taken down by our own leaders, the leaders who are put there to defend us, to honor their people, and to show no sign of weakness in the face of danger. It just seems wrong. You don’t demoralize your own country to get fame, let alone boost your reputation.
Conspiracy theorists must have evidence backing up their findings-not just suspicions, but real documentation of a government scandal. I understand everyone has a right to free speech, but when those lines start to merge, and the adverse effects of these ideas cause more harm than good, shouldn’t there be a boundary? Life is a fragile thing; we lose someone dear to us and we never forget them. We store our memories, ideas, even our love for them in our hearts; like a burden, we carry this for the rest of our lives. Should one person or small group be allowed to change everything, turning this tidal wave of doubt against a nation that has already experienced enough pain?
The theories that spilled out of this disaster, begin with inside traders knowing about attacks before they happened, going so far as to say that Bin Laden was trying to not only destroy the twin towers, but to make money off it, too: a kill two birds with one stone scenario. Another theory that sprung up was a picture of the towers stating that the plane isn’t causing the explosion, but the huge mass of fire underneath it was a bomb. If that were the cause, wouldn’t that mean our country’s leaders planned this all along? How could so many government officials keep this secret?
The hundreds of pictures and theories that spring from any major catastrophe doesn’t really show anything but that maybe our imaginations can come up with great ideas. Take the theories that came from Princess Diana’s death; they didn’t even come up for years after, and it never brought any explanation to the surface.
To go through life breaking barriers and pushing people further away is not a future foreseen by our founding fathers. To state that our government is at fault for the death of your husband, wife, or even your children won’t bring the people together; it won’t solve anything. These accusations need to end before they tear America apart. Eric Allenbaugh stated it perfectly when he said, “Painful as it may be, a significant emotional event can be the catalyst for choosing a direction that serves us - and those around us - more effectively. Look for the learning.” We need to stop pointing fingers and accept that this disaster happened. It isn’t anyone’s fault, and no one could have prevented it.
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