Remembering and Reflecting on 9/11
This edition of the Feeding Frenzy is a bit different than others I've done. Over the last week, I spent more of my time than even I expected reflecting on 9/11 and the events that would follow. At the time, I was only eight years old, so I was too young to fully grasp what had occurred except that many were called serve in the aftermath. This week's collection of content aims to provide the necessary context that leads up to and after 9/11. I am not here to argue right or wrong but rather to understand the complexities that have shaped American politics for the last two decades.
Worth Listening
Betting on Long Shots | Common Sense with Dan Carlin
This was the first podcast I had listened to on the topic of the 20 year-long war in Afghanistan and Iraq. While Dan comments more on the current events, this was my first exposure of what sowed to the region's history with the Soviet Union and that that region of the world is nicknamed "The graveyard of empires." What I gained from these ideas is how ideas change over time, and at the time, the enemy of my enemy was my friend, which made it seem like a good idea. This will be a common theme to come.
Lawrence Wright: The 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks: reflections on how they happened, and lessons learned and not learned | Peter Attia
Lawrence Wright is the author of The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, which won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction and was named one of time's top 100 books of all time. In this episode, released just before the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Lawrence and Peter discuss the book and the lasting impact of that day. In addition, Lawrence reflects on his personal experiences on that day and how he was first drawn into reporting on the attacks.
This podcast was the major deep dive to understand in more detail how the middle east continues to evolve near the end of the twenty century. In particular, Peter and Lawrence understand how the situation in Egypt from which Peter's parents immigrated. He recalls events they touch on and why that area has returned to Islamic roots as they have had corrupt secular authoritarians. As they get closer to 9/11, they spend time talking about the information trail of the men who would become the hijackers. Lawrence is critical of both the FBI and CIA for not sharing information well and letting personal strife between departments get in the way of information flow. In summary, this podcast was my baseline for which I based other information I had heard from a historical 30,000ft view of events and trajectory. Much of it was corroborated by the documentary Turning Point, for which there is more information below.
Niels Jorgensen: New York Firefighters and the Heroes of 9/11
The final podcast I listened was Niels Jorgensen with Lex Fridman. Niels is a former New York firefighter for over 21 years at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001. I can't help but feel the hope that Mr. Jorgensen had even had everything he's experienced. Years later, Niels would develop Leukaemia from the dust exposure at Ground Zero and even still surviving that he feels called to serve and help those dealing with the battle that is cancer. It's the through-line of his life, helping those in need, rushing towards danger to make sure everyone who can be saved knows full well that he might not come home as so many didn't on 9/11. The first two podcasts look at the broader scene. How might the history books look at these last two decades? Whereas this story reflects more of how I think of America. It is a place where people can set aside their difference and help those in need, not because you gain something from it, but for the simple fact, that was what the moment called for. As Lex says, never forget September 12. On that day, we showed a united front. If we could do it, then we can do it again.
Worth Reading
While researching information for this episode, I found an article on Niels cancer story titled "The Gift of a Second Chance."
The day after 9/11: Burning buildings, bodies, bomb scares | The Washington Post
In hearing of the events of 9/11 recounted, I wanted to find resources of what it was like that day. As I wrote or said initially, I was too young to comprehend the events. I feel it is necessary to grasp the situation by going to the sources themselves. But one aspect I didn't get as deeply except retired firefighter Niels Jorgensen was the clean-up effort that began the day after. In many ways, the nation dealt with trauma like any of us does by getting to work. How else do we honor those by caring on and making sure we do the work to remember the sacrifices of those days and months to come.
Worth Watching
Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror | Netflix (Trailer)
Modern history can be divided into two-time frames: before 9/11 and after 9/11. This five-part docuseries from director Brian Knappenberger is a cohesive chronicle of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S., offering illuminating perspectives and personal stories of how the catastrophic events of that day changed the nation's course. From the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 to the country's breathtaking collapse back into the hands of the Taliban just weeks before the twentieth anniversary of the attacks, history continues to be made.
I used this documentary to have other sources on the events besides Lawrence Wright's view on the podcast. Broadly many of the big points covered matched up well. But what I also thought was captured well was how people felt that affected policy decisions and what mindset people were in around the White House. The main thing I took away was that going to Afghanistan was about finding the people behind the attack but then evolved to being called "The War on Terror." In hindsight, they are critical of this label, and we lost sight of the threat we could manage. It's open to so many interpretations that anyone can find the boogeyman they are searching for in it.
Worth Pondering
You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships every day. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. - Epicurus
Closing
This edition has been much different than my average post of this series. The reason I shared this is that through. All of what I was recounting for everyone is not to send a particular message, but it's this adversity that we've faced for the last 20 years as a society, as a culture, and as individuals.
And that history is our greatest teacher. If we want to make better decisions in the future, we need to know where we came from to understand which decisions backfired, which decisions may have worked. And maybe, that's why I'm drawn to it because my generation grew up with this, and now we're going to be the ones who need to be ready for what comes next. As history continues to unfold, nothing is static. And as much as it would be fun to be able to look back and pontificate. We can't do that. But what we can do is look back and take it as a lesson, move on, and hope that we can make a better decision tomorrow.
Not be as it is so quick to pass a judgment because it's one thing to say it was a horrible event. 9/11 changed a lot for everybody, and there's a lot of loss attached to it, but there's still much to be gained in the last 20 years as a result of all this.
In one of the episodes, they talk about how, because the towers fell, they have now redone emergency codes for fires. And for if a plane does hit a building, and put that into effect. Or with soldiers who came back from Iraq and Afghanistan, we're now getting revolutionary new medicine to treat PTSD.
There are so many things that we have to realize that history is not colored in good or bad. It's good and bad mixed into this soup. And you trying to untangle it one way or the other is nearly impossible, but all we can do is be as informed as we possibly can to be ready to make the next difficult decision.