Tonight I watched for the first time a rather cheesy movie about a group of very brave people who banded together and risked their lives to save others. The film, which reeks of self righteous religeous symbolism and a lot of actors crying into cordless phones hardly does justice to the heroes of United Flight 93's passengers and crew. But it does inspire a sense of pride in the human race for the ability to sacrifice oneself for the good of others. I for one, was oblivious to the real sting of most of the events of September 11, 2001 due to the fresh grief I was feeling over the loss of my father who had died on September 9th. The power of the day was mostly lost on me except for the harrowing moments I experienced trying to contact my husband and son who were in the DC area at the time. (In fact I almost fainted when I finally spoke with my husband that night and he relayed the tale of how he had just passed the Pentegon on 395 seconds before the plane hit.) So the emotions might be running a little higher for me tonight since, in a way, I am experiencing this story in a new way.
Several points popped up in my mind while watching this film. A major one is religeous fanaticism and how dangerous it is. All of the people on that airplane believed they were doing the right thing whether it was hi-jacking the plane, fighting the hi-jackers, or doing nothing. Many of them prayed to their version of God for help and a particular end result to the flight. Some of them got what they prayed for - or at least part of what they prayed for. Actually, now that I think about it, the crash was a kind of higher power comprimise. The hi-jackers died in their cause, which is what they set out to do, but did not hit their intended target, comprimise. The passengers that stormed the cockpit got half of their prayer which was to prevent the hi-jackers from hitting their mark but all died in the process- comprimise. The movie tries to make a point that the Christians beat the Muslems because they were on the right side but that really is not true. Nobody won.
I for one abhore any group that thinks they are right and only they are right. I am glad that the White House or the Capitol Building remain in tact. I am deeply sorry that these people lost their lives- all of them. Imagine the pain and suffering these poor men must have felt in order to be sucked into such a group that could convince them that they should kill innocent people and themselves in the name of a god. A group that brainwashed them into believing that they would be rewarded for doing so. How horrible that the people who were aboard United flight 93- just going about their daily lives- suffered from fear in their last moments of life. So many of them were able to say goodbye to loved ones and that is truly moving and simultaneously heart wrenching.
In summary- I just want to say that I was indeed moved by the subject matter of the movie if not the rendering of it. Bless those amazing people who stopped that plane. May they be an inspiration to us all that there is more to the human condition than our own needs. And may all those who are duped into doing something stupid or harmful by the promise of more money, more love, happiness, or a fabulous afterlife see the scoundrals who are trying to brainwash them for what they are- simply flim flam.
Thanks for reading.
