Much of the news today commemorates the horrific deeds of twelve years ago on 9/11. This is as it should be. We remember Pearl Harbor long after the fact; the same with D-Day and Kennedy’s assassination. We should remember 9/11 too.
I heard several commentators today say that their children, who were infants on 9/11, don’t understand our attachment to this unofficial day of mourning. At the same time, we’ve had other horrific deeds since then, and children born shortly after 9/11 must surely be aware of the massacre at Newtown. Perhaps it resonates with them (due to their ages) as much as 9/11/01 or 11/22/63 is inscribed in older generations’ memory banks.
It’s an evolving thing. I was born the day after D-Day but have no personal recollection of the drama. Yet, it’s been ingrained in me that this was a significant event even though I wasn’t there. I was eighteen when Kennedy was assassinated and remember it clearly, while my children learned of it through history lessons.
So I think the commentators are wrong. Their children might not seem to understand our attachment to a given historical event, but as time passes I’m sure they will participate in remembering. What might be more special to commemorate would be a day when no more horrific events occur.
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