Today's the 5th anniversary of 09/11. Certainly a monumental date in American history but maybe not the most tragic. America lost over 618,000 during the Civil War. 418,000 during WW II including 2500 on 12/07/1941. Vietnam, WW I, Korea and other conflicts have taken their toll. We lose 40--45,000 every year in auto accidents. What differentiates 09/11 is it happened in the space of a few hours on American soil, involved Americans who were simply going about normal activities, and was extensively covered as it unfolded.
What does 09/11 mean to me? It means life is uncertain. I will die someday. I could die any day. I could die riding my bike, crossing the street, from cancer or as someone once said "being a health nut lying in bed, dying of nothing". I hope it's not anytime soon. I spend more time making each and every day a quality day for me (and the people I interact with). As the World Trade Center buildings were constructed I was in the subway below them 5 days a week. I probably was in one of the towers visiting clients or friends 50 times. All of those happened before the age of terrorism. But shit happens all the time, everyday, to everyone. I've been in the insurance business my entire adult life. Insurance is about managing risk by transferring the uncertainty of loss to someone else for a price. When it comes to terrorism there is really nothing an individual can do to manage the risk they face. And no matter what our government and military do a Pearl Harbor, 09/11 or another terrorist attack will probably happen again.
So you know what? 09/11/01 is a day when a lot of people who didn't deserve to die did. And that's like most any other day.
