United We Stand, Divided We Fall.

When the massive towers of the World Trade Center fell on September 11, 2001, America was brought to her knees. Immediately thereafter, we joined together. Patriotism and love for our country was at its best.

The construction of the 9/11 memorial demonstrates that the patriotism and love for our country are still as strong as they were ten years ago. This tragic event will never be forgotten.

Although the 9/11 memorial is not completely built yet, what is already finished says a lot to those who have been affected physically and emotionally by the doings of the terrorists, and to those who do not recall any impact on them from the attack.

As I was nearing the 9/11 memorial site, I saw a lot of people waiting for entry. From there I knew that this wasn’t just any memorial. I didn’t expect there to be such heavy security. To me, the metal scanners that we had to pass through symbolized America’s great value and how we can’t let our country be caught off-guard to harm ever again. It felt a bit like as if I was going through airport security in order to board a plane, which also became much stricter after 9/11.  As I headed out of the security center, I noticed a huge board on the wall filled with photos of people from all over the world mourning with us. It showed us that 9/11 isn’t just significant to America, but many other foreign countries have felt the impact too.

When I officially entered the memorial, I was surprised and amazed at how simple and tranquil it was. Even though the place was filled with trees, benches, people, etc., I still felt the openness and emptiness. It strangely resembled the High Line Park. Despite the noisy construction surrounding the site, the open space still gave me the ability to reflect upon the reason why this memorial exists. I reminisced the day when I was picked up from school by my parents to go home and find out that the World Trade Center doesn’t exist anymore and that many innocent lives have perished into the flames and debris. Many families with young children were there too. Of course, the children were more carefree, and you could hear their laughter from time to time. I didn’t find this response to be particularly disrespectful, but it’s just that life goes on. Our job now is to remember the dead, but keep the living alive and hope that they’ll never see what happened ten years ago reoccur in their lives.

The North and South Pools were certainly exquisite. The huge and deep water falling from every side of the pools were so aesthetically pleasing. In the center of the pool, there is another waterfall effect. No one can ever see the end of the pools. Do they ever come to an end? Where does the water stop flowing? I believe that the falling water represents all the tears that have fallen for those who have passed away and suffered from the 9/11 attacks, and that those tears are never-ending because those we have lost from that unfortunate day will never leave our hearts. The myriad of names engraved on the stones that perimeter each pool are the souls our continuous tears are for.