Eight years ago we were witnesses to history. We were there in heart, in mind, and some of us, in physical being. We call September 11, 2001 one of our nation’s darkest days. A day of Terror. A day when our world as we knew it changed forever. We shared grief for those lost, and relief for those found.
Today as I mark my personal anniversary, I’d like to offer a different perspective that begins in a deeper past, during the time of Plato. Archetypes have been around since the dawn of man, defining the roles we play in our lives. Plato called them Forms, a kind of abstract concept that can be applied to actual things. Carl Jung took this further, stating that archetypes were psychological patterns derived from historical roles in life, as well as universal events or situations.
During and after 9-11, archetypes played a major part in the life-changing situations in which we found ourselves. We were the Hero, The Victim, God & Martyr. We were Rescuer, Warrior, and Avenger. Eventually we added Scribe & Advocate, Storyteller & Healer. Liberator. And we found ourselves sharing the darker shadow side, too.
Throughout history we have been both Destroyer and Destroyed. In America, we repeatedly have enacted the role of the destroyer in the wars, conflicts, and battles we’ve engaged in.
When someone threatened us, threatened our suppliers and (useful) allies, and our ‘way of life’ we were there, guns drawn, wearing the Bully and Victim on our sleeve, avenging any hostile act. We claim that war is unavoidable; but how thoughtfully do we consider the depth and force of our response? Can we name the times we applied the right degree of force? Do we know it was equal to the need?
This year, as the bell chimes at Ground Zero and prayers are read at the Pentagon, consider that we as a nation have colluded with an age-old system that no longer benefits us. A system I feel no longer defines us. Consider that we colluded with that system unconsciously. That we allowed it to happen and we did it
together. We have done it many times before; imagine the rapturous gleam in the eyes of southerners when the Confederate flag was trotted out during the Civil War.
We have been the Destroyer. We have been the Destroyed. And perhaps it is time for those outgrown, unconscious roles to see the light of day. To shine a light on them brighter than New York’s
Tribute in Light. To begin to know them for what they are.
What if we, as individuals, as a nation, and as a global consciousness were to say, I have been both the destroyer and the destroyed, and I no longer stand for either?
What if we said this aloud today, to self and friend, to loved person and colleague? Would we begin to heal the devastation in our hearts?
Let’s dry our tears, raise our heads, and put the experience into a higher perspective. Let’s begin to derive something meaningful from the events of September 11th, rather than cyclically renewing our anger, fear, and rage. Let’s challenge September 11th to give us something more than the ability to harbor a vengeful heart, nearly a decade later.
Today I’ll fly my American flag proudly. But this year, I’ll know in my heart that there is a deeper meaning, a more enlightened perspective somewhere within the stars and the stripes, waiting to be known. A message, a call to something higher.
And I’ll proudly say, “
Today, I stand for something more.”
Susan 
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