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September
11, 2001- Langley, BC, Canada ~
Kimberley May Maurice
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At 7am I pull myself out of bed to get ready for my early
morning class. I grab a bowl of cereal and sit down to eat
and hear someone say, "Turn on your radio. The US is under
terrorist attack." I ignore the statement, too consumed
in my own morning pondering to really hear what was spoken.
I return to my room as the telephone rings. My brother,
calling from the University of British Columbia, says: "The
World Trade Center is gone. The Pentagon is on fire..."
I nearly drop the phone as I hang up and tune in to the
local radio station. I hear the voices, the sounds. I fall
to my knees in disbelief.
Three hours later I find myself in chapel. All classes are
cancelled and the gym is packed with people. We pray, we
sing, we cry for the world. I am no longer a Canadian. I
am only a human being. I cannot fight the tears, the fears,
the anger in acknowledging that the world will never be
the same.
1 o'clock. I see the news coverage for the first time. I
watch for three hours until I am saturated with the violence,
pain, and horror. I barely feel real. I am a walking, mourning
shadow.
But amidst the pain, frustration, and fear, something inside
me shifts. My heart, which once held prejudices toward the
American people and the US as a super power, is transformed.
Suddenly the petty disagreements and social cliches do not
matter. I feel just as American as I do Canadian.
It took the crumbling buildings and lost souls to bring
me to my knees and force me to see the truth: Human beings
are human beings no matter where they live or what they
do or do not believe. Terrorists may have shaken a nation,
and sent thousands of innocent lives to an abrupt end, but
the world is not as lost as we think it is. For when else
have we been able to pray on the streets, bow our heads,
cry out for mercy, justice, peace? When else in history
have we listened to a rabbi or priest discuss God on national
television? When else would you cry on the shoulder of a
complete stranger or take their hand and wish them well?
Now is a time of revelation. We in the First World have
been given a shocking look at the world in which we live
and a chance to start again. On sites across the internet
I see these words written across the American flag: United
We Stand. It is my hope that this sentiment will remain
a mission statement not just for Americans but for Canadians
as well. The US and Canada should unite, not under one country,
but in heart and spirit as two of the greatest nations on
earth. We have the ability to change the world for the better.
With the walls torn down, and our hearts raw and open, now
is the time for us to come together. We must be united.
So I stand up as a North American and join hands with my
brothers and sisters in the United States for the first
time without the mask of prejudice. Rest assured, the innocent
did not die in vain. North America is walking through fire
and will be refined.
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