Entire Nation Over The Tragedy Of September example essay topic

Bozeman 1 Shana Bozeman 3 RD -4 TH Hour Mr. Allen Miss Mac Callum April 7, 2003 Learning to Live Means Learning to Grieve Whether it is a national tragedy or personal tragedy, grieving is dealt with differently with each individual. Grieving can be shared with someone or kept to yourself. People deal with things differently than we want them to. When my grandpa died I dealt with it like many people do. I kept all my emotion to myself and bottled all my anger, questions, and frustration. The anger I felt from my personal loss is similar to the anger felt by an entire nation over the tragedy of September 11th.

September 11th, the day darkness fell over streets and fear over took our hearts. The world was full of tears for all that had been lost- friends, family, possibilities, health, youth, love and faith. Together we faced vulnerability, fragility, and many other weaknesses one faces dealing with grief. When my grandpa died, often times I would ask myself how did this happen or why did this happen or, how could this have been prevented? My grandpa was a healthy fire fighter and loved his job. He had never smoked a day in his life and out of nowhere he got diagnosed with lung cancer.

Just like me, people hang on to their questions until they are answered for some kind of closure. Just as I dealt with my personal loss by constantly trying to find answers to my questions, the world dealt with the grief of September 11th in the same way. Eventually a person reaches the point in the grieving process when they realize that their questions may never be answered. This is the point where true healing begins. Healing begins with acceptance. Acceptance comes with time.

We naturally want to move past the pain and get on with our lives. Anger and frustration caused by unanswered questions prevent us from moving forward and cost us precious energy. America finally with time got over the fact that we could not get back the lives of our loved ones even if we did somehow answer the haunting questions of why and how. We started coping with reality. Bozeman 2 Americans finally realized that September 11th was a tragedy everyone was suffering with and united to fight grief together. Many Americans all over the country showed that grief would not break them.

We started clubs and raised money for the families who lost loved ones. Our president showed support by establishing funds for the children of the victims to be able to go to college someday. America started remembering the lost lives by using the media to portray the good times and not the bad. We proved we are still a nation of courage and heroes just like our forefathers proved this by fighting against great odds to form this nation. In every neighborhood we showed or unity by flying the American flag, our symbol of strength and freedom to overcome anything. Our grief in the end brought our nation closer together than ever before.

We moved from shock to anger to frustration to acceptance to making a difference. Even though we will never forget the horror and tragedy of September 11th, we will continue to move forward as a nation and people. Grief is very powerful and has the ability to force us to grow into stronger wiser people. Through the experience of loss, we are able to better appreciate all of the blessings that everyday life holds for us in this great country. By tasting the bitter we are able to recognize and know the sweet. Just as the nation has begun to heal, I also have come a long way in my personal grief journey with the loss of my grandfather.

I am comforted in the fact that he too died in the service of his fellowman, a firefighter for over forty years and a dedicated husband, father, and grandfather. When I see Americans show so much respect and appreciation for our firefighters and policemen, it makes me proud to say that my grandfather is among that group of special people. Loss is a very real part of life and learning to deal with loss is something we must all do eventually. I can truly say that I have learned much over the past few years about grief and loss.

I hope that I can help others who may be struggling still with their own sense of loss. In learning to grieve I have also learned to live life more fully with more appreciation and compassion for others. It is my prayer that all of mankind will learn to mourn with those who mourn and grieve each others losses so that we can also learn to live together in peace and love..