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- Caroline Mercer via fox - Most Popular
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A 9/11 Survivor's Lessons on Faith, Courage and Living Fully
ReA 9/11 Survivor's Lessons on Faith, Courage and Living Fully
A former Merrill Lynch employee who watched the September 11 attacks unfold from the World Financial Center reflects on the heroism he witnessed, the vow he made that day, and the lessons about life, loss and faith that have stayed with him 25 years later.
A former financial-industry worker who watched the September 11, 2001 attacks unfold from an office adjacent to the World Trade Center is sharing what the experience taught him about faith, courage and the fragility of life. He was working at Merrill Lynch on the top floor of the World Financial Center when al Qaeda hijackers carried out the attacks that killed 2,977 people.
He recalls hearing the loudest explosion he had ever encountered and rushing to a window, where he saw a gaping hole in the North Tower, chunks of the building's metallic facade falling like confetti, and massive flames and black smoke billowing upward. He had walked through that same tower only an hour earlier. His first thought, he says, was simple and terrible: people are dying up there. When a second plane struck the South Tower, he knew the country was under attack and fled his building amid the pandemonium.
In the middle of that chaos, a question stopped him cold. For a moment, time seemed to stand still, and he asked himself whether he was prepared to meet his Maker, whether he was ready to die. Through the fear, he says, he felt a glimmer of peace. He was certain he was a child of God and that he was loved, and that certainty gave him hope even in the darkness. He also became convinced he was at the World Trade Center for a reason, and he made a vow: to stand as a witness for God, to serve others and to serve his country. He kept that promise, leaving a lucrative career in finance in 2009 to become an FBI special agent.
What he witnessed that morning showed him, he says, both the best and the worst of humanity. Selflessness, sacrifice and courage were on full display among the firefighters, police officers, Port Authority officers, first responders and ordinary civilians who died protecting strangers. These people ran toward danger while everyone else ran away, he notes. He also honors the passengers of United Flight 93, who prevented their plane from reaching its intended target, and the thousands of rescue and recovery workers who have since died from illnesses linked to exposure to Ground Zero toxins. No words, he writes, adequately express the praise these heroes deserve.
He credits then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani's leadership during the crisis and recalls how New York City, the nation and the world united in compassion and empathy in the aftermath. There was never a time, he says, when Americans were prouder of their country. He insists the attacks must be called exactly what they were: an attack on America by terrorists who despised its freedom and way of life, and he argues the catastrophe must never be forgotten so that history does not repeat itself.
At the same time, he expresses alarm at what he describes as a moral decline and an erosion of respect for human life. He calls it unconscionable that, 25 years later, some Americans would claim the United States and the blameless victims deserved what happened. New Yorkers, he adds, are resilient, and the terrorists did not win.
He was barely 23 years old on September 11, and he says the day remains the single most impactful of his life. The trauma changes you, he writes. The gruesome images, the acrid smell, the carnage, the crashing sounds, the blaring sirens and the sight of victims jumping to their deaths out of sheer desperation remain seared in his mind. Witnessing so many people die horrific deaths, he says, taught him invaluable lessons about living.
Among them: tell people you love them often, because you never know when it could be your last goodbye. Life is a fragile gift, here one second and gone the next. Do not sweat the small stuff, because careers, net worth, notoriety, titles, wealth, possessions and power do not go with you when you leave this earth. Use your talents and abundance to make a positive difference, since where much is given, much is required. Never become so consumed by inconsequential busyness that you have no time to show up for others, because true joy and purpose come from easing another's burden.
He urges people to live fearlessly, to refuse to be paralyzed by turmoil, and to channel the energy from trauma toward good rather than bitterness or anger. Even amid chaos, he says, inner peace is possible. Forgive, show compassion, be grateful, exercise faith, treat others as you would have them treat you, and maintain your integrity regardless of the pressures around you. Life is short, so make it count, take risks and live fully.
The most powerful lesson he drew from that day, he concludes, is that a literal battle between good and evil is underway and that standing on the sidelines is no longer an option. He calls on people to pick a side, spread light and live with honor, and he declares his belief that light will ultimately conquer darkness.
