Motivational Monday: Pride

Another M and M coming at ya!  Let's get rolling!

I would like to start off today's blog posting with a talk about yesterday, which marked the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the single most tragic event that the United States had ever experienced.  Nearly 3,000 people died in the Twin Towers in New York City; the Pentagon in Washington D.C.; and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Having thought about this tragedy, I realized that for my generation, 9/11 is to us as The Kennedy Assassination is to our parents; we all remember exactly where we were on that day, and it will never leave us.  For me, I had just started my freshman year in high school.  I had just gotten out of my first period class and was heading down to the lounge for my free period when I passed a group of seniors.  One of them I knew was John, and he ran up to his friends and said that a plane had crashed into one of the twin towers.  I remember my first thought was "what, he's pulling a joke; who would ever do something that stupid?"  Sure enough, I went down to the lounge, and about 20 kids were glued to the television, watching as one of the towers burned.  We didn't move for over 2 hours, and watched as all of the tragedy unfolded.  I remember consoling a friend of mine who's mother worked in one of the towers (thankfully she was delayed for work that day, so she wasn't in the building).
Afterwards, our headmaster called us to an all-school meeting, where we discussed about what had happened, and about banding together and supporting each other.
Being an international boarding school, our headmaster did not address us as "Americans," but as "Human Beings."  He talked about the human spirit and how, despite the atrocity of these attacks, our spirit and hope will endure.
The best part was: he was right.
We do our best to honor the memories of those whose lives were taken away by living each day to the fullest.  So hold your head up high, and live life as you want to.  I know that, despite all of the shortcomings or issues that the United States has, I'm proud to have been born and grown up in this country because it makes me who I am.  And I don't know about y'all, but I think I'm pretty darn spiffy, so there.
Until the next time.