5 Years... But Who's Counting

As everyone in America knows, yesterday was the 5th anniversary of 9/11. If you're not into anniversaries, probably just another day. But for most of us, there was at least one moment yesterday when we thought about where we were when we heard that the first plane hit.

I think Western cultures' fascination with anniversaries, particularly that end in five and zero, is an odd thing. I mean, it's based on a time structure that we created back in the day when people needed to know when it was hot and cold outside each year so they didn't starve and freeze to death. It now provides us Westerners with a benchmark by which we can gauge how far along we've come, where we think we should be, and how long we think we have left, in our short existence on this planet. I say Westerners because, I'm sure you know, not everyone follows a 365 day a year cyclical calendar. For example many Eastern cultures follow the lunar calendar, where one's birth date changes every year. In some societies some folks don't even celebrate birthdays.

But in America, we fixate on this shit. Anniversaries gives us a reason to do stuff. Watch a ball drop, buy a cake, go on a cruise. It also makes us ponder and reflect, which isn't a bad thing, considering our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter and our memories weaker and weaker these days. Reflection is important, and sometimes necessary, to put things in perspective, to think clearly, to prioritize what's truly important in our lives, to reconsider how we treat other people.

We get a bit nervous this time of year, every year since that day, partially because we think terrorists are following the same calendar we are. It's part of the tunnel-vision culture we have created for ourselves, enhanced by the inescapable hyperbolic news coverage. My favorite TV graphic I saw last night was from Anderson Cooper's CNN special title card: Ground Zero...of TERROR! The name reminded of the Simpsons "Tree House of Horrors" Halloween special. I almost expected scary organ music playing in the background. Ridiculous is now the norm it seems, which is so very sad. Thank goodness for Charlie Rose and The Daily Show.