Apart from some random aside kind of things I have refrained from doing a big 9/11 remembrance post. Mostly because -- despite our being implored to “never forget” -- I find it pretty unpleasant to think about. And it’s not like there’s any chance those of us who were adults when that went down are going to forget anyway. Though yes, I realize that it’s incumbent on us to make sure those who come later don’t.
I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t do particularly well with death and mourning and tragedy, and I’ve never been able to say anything particularly inspiring or thoughtful at these times. My biggest weapon against darkness is a dark, defensive humor, and this is one of those occasions where even I know that humor is not appropriate.
Thankfully we have people like Vin Scully. He has the depth and perspective due to his character and his age to be able to put this sort of thing in context. And he did so prior to yesterday’s Dodgers-Giants game. While noting that things like Pearl Harbor and D-Day have inevitably faded from living memory, he reminded us of the importance of doing whatever we can to prevent it from happening:
You can read everything he had to say over at the Los Angeles Times, along with a video of his first words following the Dodgers’ return to action after 9/11.