9/11

I know this is a few days past but it's been a crazy week. On Sept. 11 I decided that for school we would watch a History Channel documentary on the attacks in order to give the boys some inkling of the enormity of the events. At first when I brought it up they both rolled their eyes and said, "We KNOW. We KNOW. You already told us about this in school." Well, they were right, I did. Last year! I was surprised they recollected anything about it at all but then they recited many of the details and were pretty accurate. So then I explained to them that we would learn about it again every year because it is important that we never forget the events of that day since it forever changed our country.

Reluctantly they sat down for the documentary and it wasn't on for a full minute before they were glued to it, totally compelled to watch the horror of it. I have mixed emotions about them viewing it. On the one hand it is scary and horrific but on the other hand there is so much to be learned from our past; even the atrocities of it. I have profound recollection of watching things about Pearl Harbor and the Holocaust as a child and I think it was a positive learning experience for me then so I figure the same goes for them now.

Even as I sat pondering all of this I got a glimpse of their depth of understanding and maturity about it. Moments after the second tower fell, the film makers interviewed onlookers and one man; clearly in agony over what he'd seen; bitterly said, "I think we should go over and kill them all. They do this to us, we need to annihilate them." I looked at the boys and both of their eyes were glistening. Nate said, "That is so wrong. Why would someone do that?" Caleb said, "That man is wrong though. Only God can judge those people." Nate said, "You're right."

Why isn't the world run by children?