“My thoughts on whats changed rather enhanced is the world power, dominance, profits, and people. Everyone wants to dominate someone and make them pay for whatever…my outlook on our country is lack of trust. Nothing changed me on that day.”

“I think since 9/11 has happened there is a lot more surveillance and blind patriotism for this country. I believe there has been a lot more repression for people of middle eastern descent and practicing certain religions is seen as terrorist acts. People want to stand behind the word America like it gives them access to belligerent ignorance, and sometimes it does. 9/11 also exposed how penetrable our nation is.”

“Every year, the City memorializes the anniversary of the attack with two bright lights that shine vertically into the sky from the site. Now when I see them, I don’t think simply of that day. I think of the long stretch of days since- and all the mistakes this country made in response to the terror attack…Every life lost that day was a tragedy. But so was our collective response- and the hundreds of thousands of lives it has cost. From that, the air still hasn’t cleared.”

“Since 9/11 we have become way more fearful and as a result we are tracking more and we don’t have the autonomy we think.”

“I got married, got kids, a dog, found what I wanted to work for just recently, I am also more distrustful and critical, even cynical at times. I am also more conscious of what really matters.”

“I think that event made we acutely aware of how fragile a nation is and that things can change in an instant. I’ve thought about impact vs. intent and I feel that the US and the world is coming to this same crossroads as we witness systems fall apart in real time and know we have to build something healthier.”

“It feels like that was a wake up call for the West in terms of awareness of Islamic extremism- although of course communities around the world had been living with it. Other sorts of extremism – whether far right or occasionally far left – bring as much destruction to the US and UK now, but I think the horrifying and destructive nature of the 9/11 attacks means Islamic extremism is still more feared, more emotive and more focused on, than other sorts of attacks.“

“I think about Paul (who died in the attacks), often. The fragility of life. I also think about the destructive power of blind hate and how awful humans are capable of being towards each other…It saddens me that to this day, we seem to be stuck on the superficial and allow that to divide us, not only as a country but as a species.” 

“Since 9/11, I have learned a lot more about US and global history, from a social as well as economic standpoint. I have a greater sense of empathy for humanity and the difficulty of the goals and ideals America represents and still struggles to achieve. I see myself as a part of that struggle for something that is almost impossible and exists no where else in the world, no where else is it even attempted with the same level of diversity and complexity. The diversity and size of this country as well as it’s ideals are an incredible thing, especially considering the goals/ideals.”

“In terms of the world and the country, it reminds me of when we used to go to England in the 1980’s. When you went into an office building or anywhere public, you had to have your bag searched. This was because of the IRA. That went away, but now we have a lot of that in travel and buildings because we are in fear of both foreign and domestic terrorists.”