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opinion
Change is inevitable
Maybe now we can relate
to our parents. As I sat down with my dad to a TV filled with
horrible images of the terrorist attacks, he surely felt that
old fear rising. For our generation, this is our Pearl Harbor,
our Kennedy assassination.
Though today in
shock we sit in classrooms and at work, we will never forget
the date so ironically "9-11".
The reality is
this: Civilization's modern nightmare materialized as terrorists
attacked American cities, destroying national landmarks and
exacting a horrific human toll.
The world we knew
was destroyed yesterday. For those of us who have never experienced
this type of fear, our purity was stolen. I have younger
sisters who cannot completely fathom the size of Los Angeles
let alone the size of the world. They haven't any idea where
New York City is.
As college students,
we know this is not a movie and that this is irrevocable.
We have seen and read about generations of American's facing
chaos, as ours will.
Psychologist and
trauma specialist Patty White said schools should be particularly
aware of children's needs to talk about this tragedy now and
in the weeks and months to come. She advises teachers, parents
and counselors to emphasize what we do have in our favor:
a strong military, strong international allies and most important,
each other.
Just as the agricultural
era, the industrial revolution and now the technology age
have evolved us, we cannot prevent this from happening. "Speaking
softly and carrying a big stick" will always prevail,
as it did since prehistoric times.
However, we are
not invincible just because we are the most powerful nation
in the world. We can be attacked upon our own soil. We are
now forced to speak the most common yet hated language in
the world: war.
The terrorists
may have one this battle but revenge is in the works. President
Bush has stated publicly that the United States will do everything
within its power to fight an enemy that "hides in shadows."
While New Yorkers
cannot imagine the skyline without the prominent Twin Towers,
children cannot understand why Disneyland was closed, why
there weren't any planes in the sky or how something like
this can happen in America.
The bottom line
is that change occurs with every passing second. It scares
us more than we know. Imagine if I didn't sit down to watch
TV with my dad yesterday. What if I was somehow uninformed
of the situation in America? How would I be different then
you today?
Our children will
ask us as they read in history books, "Where were you
when the World Trade Centers came crashing down?" I was
just waking up to a sunny morning in Southern California,
more naive then I ever imagined I could have been. By then,
the dust would have settled and the perpetrators punished.
America will be changed for the better.
Liz Keltz is
a journalism major at Cal State Long Beach.
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