Survivor's Remorse

Every year, around the time of September 11, I think about how lucky I've been and feel guilty about it. I had moved to Belgium about three or four weeks prior to 11 September 2001. At the time, my Mom was working in the underwriting department of a health insurance company in one of the WTC buildings. She had hurt her ankle a few days prior and had thus avoided being anywhere near the tragedy. I know on some level, my Mom still feels the survivor's remorse, as do I.

I personally feel the rebuilding of the old WTC site should accelerate and approach completion as quickly as possible because it symbolises that we've moved on as a country and as an economy. Perhaps I tend to over-complicate situations and perhaps I'm being politically incorrect yet again. However, I really feel that the longer it takes to rebuild the old WTC site, the greater the emotional toll will be on NYC.

We have all somehow survived another lesser tragedy these past twelve months - one where our livelihood, our portfolios, or perhaps our homes were somehow challenged. Perhaps it felt like everything had changed in what seemed like a split second and sometimes, it really felt like we were swimming against the tides.

To some degree, survivor's remorse will be inevitable. However, those that are from the what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger school will say this is one of those cases.

I feel people survive for a reason. So, perhaps instead of feeling remorse, we should feel grateful that we can someday, somehow help someone else rebuild or recharge.

We're not out of the woods yet, but the light at the end of the tunnel has to be getting brighter.