Monday, September 12, 2011

One More Glance Back and Now Our Eyes Are Fixed Straight Ahead

When we left Germany nearly twenty years ago, me at the Columbus Day weekend, a month before my family, we left a large part of our lives there-things and people. In the decades that followed, long letters combined with holiday and birthday phone calls have been augmented and for the most part, replaced by email, text messaging and Facebook friendships.

I have as many, if not more, "FB friends" from Germany as I do from here-admittedly, the tiny total number speaks well of people's talents to avoid me for the most part with stunning success. Our German friends afford me opportunities to attempt to practice their language (Deutsch Sprache ist eine schwere Sprache) though it hasn't turned out in the way any of us might have hoped.

All of Sigrid's family and, through marriage, mine, speak German. Actually, she is the only person in her family who speaks English (which worked out very well for me). The younger of her brother's sons, feeling the need to offer his American uncle some solace yesterday was kind enough to share this:

"Wir trauen um die Opfer am 11 September 2001.
We mourn for the victims of 11 September 2001.

Das Grauen konnten Millionen Menschen rund um den Globus live miterleben. Doch das, was sich vor ihren Augen abspielte, war derart unfassbar und monströs, dass es die meisten Fernsehzuschauer anfangs nicht verstanden. Selbst die engsten Sicherheitsberater des amerikanischen Präsidenten brauchten eine Weile, um zu begreifen, was geschah. Dann flüsterten sie George W. Bush die Worte ins Ohr, die nur Minuten später ebenfalls um die Welt gingen. "America is under attack!" Amerika wird angegriffen! Es war der 11. September 2001 - politisch gesehen begann das 21. Jahrhundert mit diesem Tag.
The horror of that day was witnessed live by countless millions of people around the globe. But what was happening before their very eyes was so monstrous and inconceivable, that many viewers at first failed to fully understand. Even the American President's security adviser needed a moment to grasp what was happening. Then she whispered in George W. Bush's ear words that moments later would travel the earth, "America is under attack!" It was September 11th, 2001- politically speaking, the beginning of the 21st Century.

Der Tag, an dem islamistische Gotteskrieger mit entführten Flugzeugen die Zwillingstürme in New York zum Einsturz brachten, markiert eine politische Zeitenwende. Erstmals in ihrer Geschichte wurden die USA von einem Feind tief im eigenen Land getroffen. Islamistischer Extremismus versetzte die Welt in Angst. Die gesamte westliche Staatengemeinschaft fühlte sich angegriffen.

The day on which Islamist jihadists with hijacked airplanes crashed into the twin towers of New York marked a political turning point. For the first time in its history, the U.S. was struck by an enemy deep in their own country. Islamist extremism threw the world into fear. The whole Western community felt attacked.


My response was as much for myself as for him.

Today is a hard day for me to describe-not sad but certainly not happy either. Here on the East Coast the weather today is very much like what we had on that Tuesday, 11 September 2001, lots of brilliant sun, mild temperatures and brilliant, blue skies.
Heute ist ein harter Tag für mich um zu beschreiben- nicht traurig, aber sicherlich nicht glücklich. Hier an der Ostküste das Wetter heute ist sehr ähnlich wie das, was wir an diesem Dienstag war, 11 September 2001 hat: viele strahlende Sonne, milde Temperaturen und brillante, blaue Himmel.

A decade later we know how that day turned out. It's still early today, Sunday, 11 September 2011, so we're not sure about this one but I remain optimistic. As sad as where we have been, it's even more important that we sort out where we are going as a country and as a part of a much larger and much more dangerous world.
Ein Jahrzehnt später wissen wir, wie an diesem Tag stellte sich heraus. Es ist noch früh heute, Sonntag, 11. September, 2011, so dass wir nicht sicher sind, über diesen tag aber ich bleibe optimistisch. So traurig, wo wir gewesen sind, ist es umso wichtiger dass wir festellen wo wir sind als Land und als Teil eines viel größeren und viel gefährlicheren Welt gehen.

We should remember the past, always, but not live in it. Failing to live out loud as free people would mean all of those who died ten years ago (and all who have died since then), died in vain.
Wir sollten uns an die Vergangenheit erinnern, immer, aber nicht in ihr leben. Andernfalls leben laut, als freie Menschen alle jene, die vor zehn Jahren starb (und alle, die seitdem gestorben sind), umsonst gestorben bedeuten würde.

September 11, 2001 was the saddest day of my life, and of the life of my country. But infinitely sadder would be if all of us failed to practice everyday the lessons of faith, hope, charity and love that we learned in the destruction and despair of September 11, 2001.
Die 11. September 2001 war der traurigste Tag meines Lebens, und aus dem Leben meines Landes. Aber noch trauriger wäre es, wenn alle von uns nicht zu üben jeden Tag den Unterricht von Glaube, Hoffnung, Liebe und Liebe, die wir in der Zerstörung und Verzweiflung der 11. September 2001 gelernt.

We should always celebrate that we are alive in this age of miracles and wonder-that no matter how fearful and frightening the forces aligned and arrayed against us, we have one another.
Wir sollten uns immer zu feiern, dass wir leben im Zeitalter der Zeichen und Wunder. Dass, egal wie furchtbar und erschreckend die Kräfte ausgerichtet und geordnet gegen uns sind, wir einander haben.

Hurrah, wir leben noch!

And now, let us look to the horizon before us instead of constantly glancing over our shoulder. "Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you. Forget the dead you’ve left, they will not follow you. The vagabond who’s rapping at your door is standing in the clothes that you once wore. Strike another match, go start anew. And it’s all over now, Baby Blue."
-bill kenny

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