We've seen many memorials and monuments on this trip: Gettysburg, Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, US Marine Corps, etc. While in New York City we got to see the 9/11 Memorial. I've included a brief video of the memorial below. Go ahead and watch it and listen.
Of all the monuments/memorials I've seen this one leaves me the emptiest. Artistically it is beautiful and well-executed. The squares, the symmetry, the flowing water, the names--all of that is great. The thing that is hard for me to like about it is the square in the center called "the void" where the water flows seemingly to nowhere, like a bottomless pit. If "loss" is what the designers wanted me to feel when I experience this memorial then they succeeded. I feel that plus hopelessness and despair. When I see the void in the 9/11 memorial I don't feel hope or optimism. I think and feel "bottomless black hole".
I realize these people are missing from our lives but I'd rather not be reminded of the loss or void. I'd rather somehow remember the blessings that their memories are. There's a quote attributed to Dr Seuss, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." I don't want to cry every time I think of them. Somehow I'd like to experience hope, optimism, or some other positive feeling from a memorial. This just doesn't do that for me.
I realize these people are missing from our lives but I'd rather not be reminded of the loss or void. I'd rather somehow remember the blessings that their memories are. There's a quote attributed to Dr Seuss, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." I don't want to cry every time I think of them. Somehow I'd like to experience hope, optimism, or some other positive feeling from a memorial. This just doesn't do that for me.
I can't remember if the memorial was open when I went to visit my sister in NYC, but she did not take us anywhere near there. She said it would just make us sad, and with the munchkins we were not looking for sad. Neat video.
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