Coming to Age after 9/11

Today is a solemn moment for all of us to remember and reflect. While I did not directly observe the events of that day, I attended high school only a few blocks from the Twin Towers. I remembered the confusion that all of us felt as Stuyvesant administrators and teachers led us walking north to 59th street, and then told us to find way back home (to Brooklyn) on our own. It was a terrifying time, and I felt I was thrust into the middle of a gigantic moment when I barely turned 14.

Ten years later, I find myself a more knowledgeable and responsive citizen. I realize that my education and life growing up would have been different had 9/11 not occurred. But in a sorts, it made me more engaged with what is going on home and abroad. I trace my current fascination with current events and geopolitics from reading and following 9/11 and the aftermath. This sense of responsiveness I carry with me as I continue my growth as a lawyer and citizen.

But 9/11 has left an almost indelible scar with me: the sense of insecurity. Since 9/11, all of us have witnessed a more guarded and cautious America, with some political freedoms curtailed and suspicions easily aroused. This sense has percolated to many of us, including me. I strive to not let 9/11 affect me, and continue to be open, tolerant, and understanding. But a part of me remains guarded and vigilant; maybe all the ups and downs of maturing and entering into an unstable economy has taken its toll. Or perhaps I have finally grown up since that fateful day ten years ago, and am ready to engage fully and honestly with myself and the world.