Brave new world - World Trade Center and the Pentagon Attacks, 2001 - Brief Article

CosmoGirl!, Dec, 2001

The terrorist attacks on September 11 changed our lives. Now the rebuilding starts with you.

When those planes struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, for a brief moment, it felt like the terrorists had won. But for terrorism to "work," it has to make us afraid to live, love, feel happiness, and hope for the future. And you, CosmoGIRLI, are much too tough for that. The spirit of all that makes America great lives in you. Now you've got to let that spirit shine.

Some thoughts on how...

RALLY

In war movies, when someone "rallies the troops," it's because they need high morale (despite what's happened) to put all their strength into fighting the enemy. Disheartened, we can't fight effectively...and that's exactly what our enemies want.

Twelve days after the attack, President Bush asked Americans to raise their flags to full mast as a symbol to the world that we're rallying--because today more than ever we need to be strong. The morale in every town, every school, every house, has to be high. So if you haven't already, now's the time to rally--to show your community and the world that, yeah, you were hurting, but now you're healing. You are back. Put an inspirational quote on your notebook (like: "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear." -- Mark Twain). Smile at someone who looks sad. Or wear your favorite flag T-shirt. Do something that people can see. Misery is contagious, but so is spirit. Make sure it's spirit you're spreading.

UNIFY

When tragedy strikes, people tend to either hide out alone, waiting for the worst to be over--or band together to help each other. Banding together is better. We need to understand each other's feelings so that we can bond as a strong, multifaceted unit. (This is where the whole "together we stand, divided we fall" idea comes to life.) To get everyone communicating, organize a poetry reading. Poems are like capsules of feeling; snapshots of your psyche. There are no rules: It can be two words or 20 pages. Ask a coffee shop if you can hold a reading there, then e-mail your friends (and have them e-mail their friends) so you invite a big group.

Writing and sharing poems gives you power; it shows you're not afraid to share your feelings (freedom of expression -- not all countries have it). You'll feel renewed confidence. And listening to others is a gift, it shows your sisters that they are not alone, you are all strong; you are all united.

LOVE

A lot of firefighters and police officers lost their lives trying to rescue people from the World Trade Center. And you probably saw people on TV holding photos of their mothers, daughters, sisters, friends -- hoping against hope that they'd be found. By now, most of those people have received the sad news that their loved one is never coming home. You can help by writing a letter. It sounds weird to write to someone you don't know. But think about it: If you lost someone, wouldn't it mean so much that even people you don't know want to help you heal? And whether you know them or not, their loss was your loss. This wasn't an attack on those individuals. It was an attack on us all. They just paid the price.

Your letter doesn't have to be a perfectly worded masterpiece. Just say that while you can't imagine what they must be feeling, you are thinking of them. How many letters you write doesn't matter -- just do it now. Find a firefighter's name at fdny.org and send a letter do CG! for Firefighters, Box 1404, Radio City Station, New York, 10104-1404. Get a police officer's name at remembering.usatoday.com (search the victims database by employer, type in "new york police") and send a letter to PBA, Widows' & Children's Fund, 40 Fulton Street, New York, NY 10038. Find a civilian's name and then post an e-mail to their family at legacy.com/nytimes/septl1.asp. You will be sharing your love with people who really need love now.

the bottom line

Random acts of terror will never make sense. Here at CosmoGIRL!, we can't pretend to know what will happen, even between the time we wrote this and when our issue comes out. But we do know this: On September 11, our country suffered a great loss. But are we beaten down? No way. Because you would never let that happen. You are the heartbeat and the life force of America. And like with everything else, we're all in this together, sisters -- now more than ever. Together, we will rally and we will unite and we will combat hatred with love. Here's to courage.