On 9/18/2002, while on a business trip to Long Island, I went to pay my respects at Ground Zero. Now, I have to say I've *never* been to NYC before this week, other than the airports. I don't have a history of 30 years of seeing the towers every day (was it 30?); I don't have the New Yorker pride in their city... before last year, NYC was like a foreign country to me, only less desirable as a vacation spot. After 9/11, I wanted to go there just to show solidarity, and to help their economy recover.

Anyway, my original point was that I have no emotional ties to that city, or to the towers. I didn't know anyone who died there, although a co-worker lost some family members there. The beauty of being human is that you dont' have to have a personal connection in order to feel the depth of a tragic loss... the shared humanity is all the connection you need.