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Evan Heller, 18, a 2003 graduate of Rocky Point High School, is a PeprallyUSA.com 2003 Patriotic Essay Contest Semi-Finalist.

Evan has resided in Sound Beach with his mother, Christine, and two brothers, Matt and Jarret. In Fall 2003 he will continue his eduation at Columbia University where he is planning to major in biochemistry or a related science. Throughout high school, Evan was involved in Cross Country running, track, as well as playing the trumpet in the concert, jazz, and marching bands. In his free time, Evan likes to read, compose short stories, run, and go to the beach and movies. He also has an interest in computer science, and enjoys programming in Visual Basic and C++, as well as creating web pages. He hopes to one day have the opportunity to travel abroad.

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WHAT 9/11 MADE ME REALIZE
by Evan Heller

Unspoken Words

The events that took place on September 11 and the effects they have had on the world seem to belong in a movie. Even as it occurred, two airplanes crashing purposely into the towers of the World Trade Center seemed an event that belonged more alongside the destruction of the White House in Independence Day than an event that actually occurred in New York City. The destruction on that day, however, was very real, and thousands of lives were lost, lives of innocent people who had done nothing more than go to work as they would have any day.

Mere numbers and statistics always obscure the enormity of a tragedy. When our nation is at war, we often hear reports that the lives of hundred or thousands of soldiers were lost, but what does that mean to us? To us, these reports tell of battles far detached from our everyday lives. Numbers mean little to us.

Consider for a moment how we would feel and how our lives would be utterly devastated if someone we loved were suddenly taken from us. Imagine if you were to receive one day a message that your best friend had been killed in battle. Imagine how you would feel if your brother or sister, who is embedded in each and every fond memory of your childhood, was suddenly killed.

War and tragedy do not simply take the lives of innumerable people, for each of those people has touched the lives of countless others who will never be the same. The terrorists who attacked America on September 11 took much, much more than the lives of innocent victims.

Our nation has recently experienced a resurgence of patriotism, and while it has brought the nation together in aiding the rescue workers at "Ground Zero," it may have negative consequences. It seems to me that many people, in being patriotic, have become ardent in their desire to strike back and almost too eager to go to war. To me, there is no honor in war. Will war not breed more devastation? Just as the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center devastated the lives of the friends and families of its victims, a war will only cause more devastation. Those who desire revenge must not let vindictiveness obscure that war, when considered in human terms rather than in terms of numbers and statistics, is a terrible thing.

Unfortunately, war is sometimes a necessary evil. When I think of the events of early September, I am invariably reminded of William Golding's Lord of the Flies. What does the fact that we must resort to war say about mankind? Are we humans any more civilized than the apes from which we evolved? The attack on the World Trade Center seems to me a testament to the savagery of mankind. It is frightening to know that there are those who would direct their resentment of the United States at innocent civilians. In a sense the United States was left with little choice in the matter of retaliation, for it could not leave itself vulnerable to yet more acts of terrorism, but it is a sad fact that such a choice had to be made in the first place.

I have not always agreed with the policies and decisions of our government, and I am not entirely certain that I agree with them now. The simple fact that I am allowed to criticize and have an opinion of my government illustrates an aspect of the United States that is common to very few nations. America stands alone as the most democratic nation in the world, and despite what little I do not like about my country, I am certain there exists no better place to live. It is of prime importance that we have faith in our government and never lose hope that it will deliver us through times of hardship. We cannot lose faith in the rationality of mankind, that humans will eventually reach a point where war and terrorism are non-existent.

If there is anything to learn from the tragedy that befell the nation on September 11, it is that our lives may be changed unexpectedly and forever within a matter of seconds. We do not know what the future holds. The loved ones whose presence in our lives we take for granted may be suddenly taken from us. We have no control over what fate may deal us, but it is in our power to let those whom we care about know how much they mean to us.

It is strange how the things we wish to say the most are often the most diffcult to say. It is awkward and difficult for a person to tell a friend or sibling how much he has meant to him throughout the years, and very often such feelings are left unspoken or saved for farewells. If there is one thing we can do for our fellow human beings so that hope is never lost, it is to leave no words of love, caring, or kindness unspoken.

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