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| Terror Strikes Home, But Always
Remember The Choices Of Our Ancestors |
As bombs are falling in Afghanistan, and New Yorkers are still sifting through
the wreckage of the World Trade Center at Ground Zero, I found myself thinking
about the similarities between the history of my homeland and recent events here
in the US.
I had just spent two months visiting Greece, visiting family and friends and
acquiring new products for my shop. I returned home to New York City on September
9th, 2001 to prepare for the Christmas shopping season.
No more than I had begun to unpack, life in NYC was changed forever. And while
Ground Zero will always be sacred ground in America, I believe we should still
rebuild as all mankind --- of the most enduring variety --- always has.
I remember the words of Emerson, that "Whatever great monuments to himself
mankind makes, there will always be those who seek to take them down" again.
Just as there have been men who shot the nose from the Sphinx’s face, and
who assembled work crews to try to take down a pyramid.
Just as the White house was burned in America’s own Revolutionary war. Monuments
of nations have always been targets in times of war and conquest.
The attack against America on September 11th, 2001 was indeed a declaration of
war. But not merely one of differing peoples, or differing beliefs, or countries,
or religions, or skin colors, or races and nations, it is a war made of feeling
and of jealousy that has existed since the beginning of time and will continue
until there is nothing for people to be jealous of anymore. And Not rebuilding
will not alleviate that.
It is a fact of life as we know it that there is no monument that will not become
a target to those who feel oppressed, and there is no way to irrevocably prevent
mankind from his own nature, which is to destroy the Art works of those we dislike
or of whom we are jealous.
In each town where a great city has stood, archaologists will tell you that there
have been times of great destruction also. No wall that has gone undamaged from
man’s own attacks against men. No castle exists that hasn’t been burned,
no citadel where mankind hasn’t killed his fellows and knocked down their
walls. Just because we live in the year 2001, perhaps it is naïve to think
we are immune to this history of bloodshed and broken buildings.
Art comes in many forms, and one of these forms in our world today is architecture.
And, not unlike the architects of the past in Greece, much of what we build today
will go on as monuments to our perseverance in the future world to come. And,
like my forbears, who designed and built the Parthenon after a former building’s
destruction in the Persian war, we too should rebuild our fallen monuments.
And while a monument of some kind is certainly appropriate, I believe that the
reconstruction and return of a pair of twin towers to the New York Skyline would
serve as a constant reminder and monument to our ability to resurrect hope form
the ashes and persevere through any attacks that may come against us.
I was reminded of my homeland’s vast experience of rebuilding and recreating
from the ashes of war over its long, long history as these dark events unfolded
recently here in America. And as I look out over our city I remember that Historical
Greece encountered strong adversity similar to this during the Persian wars of
early to mid-fourth century BC.
By 490 BC, the Persians controlled almost the entire world including Asia Minor,
Lydia, Judah, Mesopotamia, and Egypt. Among these expeditions, the Persians launched
a campaign against Athens and met the Athenian army at Marathon in Attica. In
this epic battle, from which the English language gets its word Marathon, meaning “a
contest of Great Endurance”, the Athenians defeated the invading army. Had
the Athenians lost, Greece would have eventually come under Persian Control and
the face of the world might have been changed forever. And though the Athenians
prevailed, in the battles many of their incredible works of architectural art
were lost forever.
It is interesting to note that many were never rebuilt because of oaths that
some of the victors are believed to have made, promising to leave the destroyed
ruins in place as a reminder of the Persian impiety. Another part of the oath
stated that they would also not build any new temples in those locales where
the destroyed temples had been. They kept this oath for almost thirty years,
at which time a new peace between the Greeks and the Persians had started to
absolve the need for such an oath and construction was begun on the Parthenon
on the grounds of a former temple that had fallen to the Persians thirty years
earlier.
Why did they rebuild as they did and create such a magnificent building as the
Parthenon, in defiance of the oath, and the first of many fine works to come
in that period? There are probably many reasons and motives. But primarily I
think it is because of a truth that history has born out over time and through
the rise and fall of many, many civilizations. And that is the simple fact that
when civilizations are at their strongest, highest point, the architecture and
art of those societies is also at its very most impressive. My ancestors probably
wanted to make a point that their buildings may be destroyed, but their spirit
could never be broken.
It has been estimated that the clean-up and evidence gathering in the ruins of
the World Trade Centers will take at least a year. When the clean up is finally
completed, people will gather to decide what kind of memorial would best honor
those who died in the airplanes and in the twin towers on September 11th, 2001.
I will always remember the choices of my ancestors. First, they chose that the
destroyed structures should be a memorial for all time. Then they chose to build
a new magnificent structure to carry their values and traditions into the future
and to show the world they were still a major power to be reckoned with.
I for one fervently believe that we should build a memorial upon Ground Zero,
and then return a new pair of towers to the New York City skyline. I believe
that in doing so, we would be bestowing the greatest honor upon those who have
died at the hands of terrorists, by moving into the future --- without fear.
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