"Everybody hurts.
Take comfort in your friends.
Everybody hurts. Don't throw your hand.
Oh, no. Don't throw your hand.
If you feel like you're alone, no, no, no, you are not alone."
~ Michael Stipe
With the 2001 tragic terrorist attack of Manhattan's World Trade Center came shock, outrage, and hurt. The loss was too painful to comprehend.
The World Trade Center was developed to celebrate international commerce as the financial hub of the world. The Center was designed by Seattle architect Minoru Yamasaki as "a living symbol of man’s dedication to world peace."
The amazing complex featured 12 million square feet of office space on a 16 acre site. Tower One at 1,368 feet (417 meters) tall was finished in 1972; Tower Two, the South Tower at 1,362 feet (415 meters) in 1973. At the time of its construction, the 110-story skyscrapers were the two tallest buildings in the world.
According to Howstuffworks.com, the towers cost over $1 billion to build circa 1970. "It could easily cost $5 billion to replace them today."
"The purpose of architecture is to create an atmosphere in which man can live, work, and enjoy," Yamasaki believed. "The World Trade Center is a representation of man’s belief in humanity, his need for individual dignity, his beliefs in the cooperation of men, and through cooperation, his ability to find greatness."
New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani called the crime "horrible... the most horrendous thing" he had ever seen. "It is almost impossible to describe the level of anger one feels," he said. Espionage novelist Tom Clancy agreed: "It's the sort of thing best left in a novel, not in life."
As with all horrible tragedies, there is a message of unity, as well as a common bond of healing, bravery, and hope. It is a time to reach out to others and take comfort from family and friends.
More WORLD TRADE CENTER Quotations
Hurt shared is hurt managed.