Being on Alert

I sometimes forget about the risks of living in an urban metropolis like New York City.

Students, faculty, and staff arrived on campus today all a buzz over the newest terrorism threats on Manhattan. Since 9/11, we takes threats to our humanity quite seriously, as we should. Some of my co-workers blew it off like everything is fine, while others showed genuine concern for riding public transportation and being in major areas. Quite frankly, I'm not sure how to feel about all of it.

I was a high school student when the terrorist attacks of 9/11 occurred. My mom had been a flight attendant for quite a few years at that point and she was away on a trip. One can imagine the hell my family went through before the government released details of what airlines and aircrafts had been lost in the attacks. Luckily, her flight had been diverted to Canada due to the incidents, which perhaps may have been the safest place for her at that time. As I look back, I remember thinking how terrifying it must be to live in New York City right now.

Fast forward eight years. The city is still bruised from the effects of 9/11. So many valuable lives were lost. We will remember how horribly we all felt after the attacks. And now, the feelings are back, shielded by a tense fear of high alerts and extreme caution on every street corner. It's a scary feeling. Living in Arizona, terrorist attacks seemed so far away. Naturally my memory is clouded by the flaws of my naive adolescence; nonetheless, I felt as though we were untouchable. Now, the threats are in my backyard. And I guess, I'm struggling with the reality of it.