A Nation Rising Against Terrorism (1): The Statue of Liberty - August 12, 2002

It is August 10, 2002. Tomorrow marks eleven full months since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. I have come to New York to spend the holidays and see the empty site of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center; after an hour of wandering, I manage to park my car in a corner of a beautiful tree-lined street facing the United Nations. I step out and lean against a small bridge railing to my right. The Hudson River flows through New York City, and in the distance, the famous Statue of Liberty, a well-shaped woman, stands embraced by the horizon. I look at the Statue of Liberty and the thin garment she wears, wondering how the terrorists thought they could take freedom from the people of this land—America—by crashing two planes full of innocent people into the tall and magnificent buildings of the World Trade Center. Freedom and democracy? I am thinking about the Statue of Liberty when I notice another hustle and bustle in the small park to the right of the street. I listen closely and find out that a dance program is scheduled to take place there the day after tomorrow. I regret not sharing with you the unity of the people in this city as they work to psychologically rebuild their community. The vibrancy can be seen everywhere; in the crowds and splendor of Fifth Avenue, which is famous worldwide, from the beautiful entrance and hallways of the Plaza Hotel located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and the southern part of Central Park, to the beautiful horse-drawn carriage that reminds one of stories from past centuries, with the driver waiting to take passengers through the busy streets among the cars. From the beautiful underground hallways of the central train station in the middle of Manhattan, to the small bridge across the street from the United Nations, where one can see both the blue water and the United Nations building, and finally, from hundreds of small and large concerts on Broadway to those held in parks or the underground hallways of the New York subway that draw people to watch. It is impossible to cover all this diversity in just a few reports, but I will try to share with you the beautiful and perhaps sad sights of this city over the next seven days. I remember the excitement of the dance program planned in the park by the street and want to see what is happening in the neighborhood park the day after tomorrow and what the efforts of these people are after the terrorist attacks. And for what purpose? The day after tomorrow, we will go together to the first of those: to the 'Dancing in the Streets' in the beautiful park to the right of the street.