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I was caught in the middle of my teenage years when the world was shaken by an unexpected terrorist attack on New York City and Washington D.C. For many Americans, September 11th is a day when life stopped for a moment, and all we could do was watch in horror as people jumped out of the towers to avoid burning alive. It is also a day that tripped us into war against tyranny and terrorism with both guns and rhetoric. I remember the disbelief of hearing the news, and being so far away from New York City. I was about to enter my junior year in high school, and I found myself in a strange limbo before school started. The world around me had changed. It was now post-September 11th America, and there seemed to be two major avenues of action open before us: political or military. I chose the latter, deciding that I would follow that sometimes rough path into adulthood rather than question authority or remain idle. As if simply being alive didn't change enough, war broke out in Afghanistan soon after September 11th. I was overseas by then, where I lived for a year in Afghanistan's tumultuous Kandahar Province. I returned home soon after the invasion of Iraq, although I still remain happily involved in the political world through activism and teaching local youth to question authority. As I take up the pen to write these words, September 11th is now six years past, and it's easy to forget how much impact this day had on my life. As if learning how to fight isn't hard enough, now one must learn how to interpret what is heard on the news. For a time, war seemed inevitable, and hope of any kind seemed foolish. We were left with either accepting our fate or fighting against it. I chose the latter, and I did so with an open mind and hopeful heart. When it was over, I sat down to write the memoirs of that time in my life. The book is titled "Sweet November," a reference to a movie from 2001 in which Keanu Reeves plays a bitter, lonely man who falls in love with Charlize Theron's character. In the movie, Theron tries repeatedly to win back his affection through constant gifts of chocolate, but fails every time. Eventually she succeeds in making herself just "sweet" enough for him to fall in love with her again. To end the war, I believe that we must at least try to understand the other side. For example, I paid several visits to Afghanistan's Helmand Province during my year there. But I was never able to find out what life was like for the people of this region, who are now left with no hope of ever returning home. I believe this is because most news coverage simply reported accusations without determining the truth of the matter. The image of America as an aggressor nation is burned into our psyche through frequent news coverage, and now even sympathetic journalists seem to be reporting only what they want us to hear. 51cfa1e7782075
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