I remember flipping on the TV just a moment before heading out the door to work. I was planning to arrive early to help set the cafeteria up for the new students arriving on campus that day. Initially, I mistook the image I saw as another Hollywood movie, but the audio didn’t quite sync up. It took me a moment to realize that what I was seeing was live. It was real. I was really happening.
I remember the news anchors trying to report on what was going on. At that point only one building had been struck. I remember watching as the live news feed showed a second airliner crashing into the other Trade Tower. I remember seeing the explosion, the fire, the debris, and I remember being shaken to my core. I had hoped that the airliners were at least empty, but the reports came in that they were fully loaded with passengers. I was stunned.
Somewhere in there, reports rolled in that the Pentagon had been hit, that it was thought that the White House had been the original target. Another report told of a plane that had crashed in Pennsylvania, all lives on board lost. It would be days before we knew the whole story of what had happened, or at least as much of the story as can be known.
I remember watching the World Trade Towers burning, smoke rising in black columns, and hearing how brave men were entering the buildings to get the survivors out. I remember waiting to find out another plane had crashed into another building somewhere else.
And then the Towers began to fall – first one, then the other shortly after it. That was when I sank to the floor and tears started to fall down my face. Before, I had simply been standing stockstill, almost holding my breath, the horror of the day not quite reaching beyond my rational mind. The collapsing buildings somehow made it real, thinking about how many died that day. I remember the silence from the reporters. It was probably the first time I had ever heard any of them truly at a loss for words.
I remember finally dragging myself to work and going through the motions of doing my job. My heart and mind were still with those people, and my eyes strayed to the television most of the day to check for updates. So many dead, so much horror. And all for naught.
I remember those who died that day. I remember those who gave their lives to help others survive. I remember what it was that sparked a global conflict. I remember what it was that urged a nation to unity and a pursuit for justice.
I remember…
Tags: 911, in-memorium, terrorism
Well, as it turns out, attending the annual INAIR conference didn’t afford me quite as much time and energy to write as I had hoped. It’s amazing just how numb your mind gets after you’ve sat through multiple sessions, however interesting you may have found the material. But now that the conference is over and I’m feeling a bit refreshed, let me share a few of the thoughts and impressions I’ve gained from the past couple of days.
Our keynote speaker was Dr. Blaise Cronin of Indiana University – Bloomington. One area of his expertise involves strategic intelligence, and he spoke a bit on terrorism and terrorists. He described one of the major problems with facing terrorism in our country – the terrorists come from a culture where they are forced to examine their place in the world. They have some understanding of where they stand, of what the whole picture is, of what they have to do to effect the kinds of changes they want to see.
Conversely, the agencies and institutions in this country that are endeavoring to countermand these terrorist cells are isolated groups with closed communication systems. These agencies do not share intelligence with one another well and do not have experts who are adequately equipped with the proper knowledge and skill sets necessary to address the threat of terrorists. For instance, there is a wealth of wiretap information archived in the CIA that is virtually useless because we do not have enough analysts who know the Arabic language to listen to it and draw out the information we need to short-circuit terrorist plots. In effect, our intelligence agencies have a bad case of tunnelvision because there is less than ideal dialogue and discussion. They are, to some extent, unable to see alternatives that would suggest better ways of heading off threats to our national security.
He related this information to my field by warning against falling into the same traps. In order for institutions of higher learning to be truly effective, we must all share knowledge amongst each other. In doing so we boost our collective knowledge, we refine our skills, and we pose the prospect of alternative forms of action that have yet to be considered. This is the sort of cooperation that allows any business or institution to grow and become even more effective.
Allow me to apply this even further. This is the very reason why I enjoy writing down and sharing my thoughts here. I look for open dialogue and discussion with other, the sharing of ideas and viewpoints, exactly because I do not want to fall into the trap of tunnelvision. Dr. Cronin stated that statistics have shown that the guesses of average citizens are just as accurate as the guesses of experts, in any topic or issue. This is because experts fail to recognize that they have learned their area so thoroughly that they neglect to consider all the alternatives. They begin to think that events can only transpire in a limited number of ways. Sometimes, this is the case, but often it is not.
In sharing my thoughts with others in this medium, I am able to compare what I know with a limitless supply of other viewpoints. I can break out of that trap of tunnelvision by making myself vulnerable to critique and criticism. I am able to be coaxed into considering other alternatives to any number of issues that I face on a regular basis. In short I am reminded that I am not an expert in anything and that there are so many alternative ways that situations and issues can play out.
I appreciate all the feedback I get from my readers, and I greatly enjoy the discussion and stretching experiences. For all of you who read, I hope I am able to stretch the way you think a little bit. And for all of you who stretch me, thank you.
Tags: politics, terrorism
