Thoughts, prayers lie with victims of attack

I want to apologize in advance to all those who read this column today. I am writing my column this week with the heaviest of hearts in light of the terrible tragedy that occurred yesterday morning. My heart and all my prayers go out to the victims of the terrorist attacks and their families. I am simply in shock over the events of Tuesday morning.

These attacks were of a terrorist nature that no country has ever seen before. As far as an attack on the United States, only the bombing at Pearl Harbor can compare with the assault of yesterday. It has been enough to scare all of us, and make me realize how precious every single life is and just how vulnerable we really are.

It's terrifying to know that such destruction can take place in an instance and without warning. It's even more terrifying to fathom that there are people out there that are capable of both planning and carrying out such a horrifying catastrophe. Knowing these people exist is sickening.

I'd like to think that, over time, humanity has evolved, that we have somehow become sophisticated to the point that no one would ever have to take such drastic measures for any reason. I would like to think that we have been humbled by past events like the shootings at Columbine High School, or the Bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993.

I'd like to think that the world is filled with nothing more than friends, family, comfort and love – all that’s kind to our moralities. That would be comforting.

But that’s not reality.

The harsh truth is that, not only are we capable of inhumane acts, we now have the capacity for annihilation of the entire planet. Worse yet, there are individuals who would actually initiate such an act.

Herman Melville said it best in his book "Moby Dick," "I say: and Heaven have mercy on us all…for we are all somehow dreadfully cracked about the head, and sadly need mending."

The people responsible for the attacks yesterday have no respect for life whatsoever, not even their own, as terrorists died on the planes along with the innocent passengers. I sincerely hope that those who initiated the attacks have no weapons of mass destruction, because, taking the events yesterday, I have no doubt that they would not hesitate to use such weapons. Those who destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center have no conscience and will go to any extreme without being provoked.

The actions of these people go beyond terrorism. They were acts of war.

My thoughts move from those who caused the devastation to those most affected by it. Our nation will forever mourn this day. The victims died needlessly, casualties of issues that they had nothing to do with. I pray for the innocents in the World Trade Center who were merely enjoying a beautiful day in New York City and cried out in terror before they were silenced by the hijacked planes. I also pray for the pilots and passengers of those planes who must have gone through hell before their deaths.

Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001 will be a date eternally remembered as the day that a terrorist war broke out on American soil. The day will become an icon for the aftermath to follow in the coming weeks. It is a day in which everyone will remember where they were and what they were doing when the news broke.

In my short life, I have never seen an event that has been more disillusioning. It is terribly hard to deal with, but I am counting my blessings because I have family and friends who are going through this with me. I also have this column which I am using as a release for the emotion that has been imminent with something as calamitous as the terrorist strikes.

Our faith and lives now rest in the immediate decisions and actions of our president, George W. Bush. We should now support our President's actions, and we should rally around him to ensure that whatever group is directly responsible for yesterday's devastation is held accountable.

I am dedicating this column to the families of the victims. I wish them all of God's strength as they deal with their loss. And to the victims themselves: I hope that their sorrowful deaths act as a catalyst that could bring a new enlightenment to the world so that a tragedy like this never happens again.

Shawn McGann is a senior in the School of Technology. He can be emailed at opinions@purdueexponent.org.

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