While most of the world witnessed the September 11 terrorist attacks on TV screens, many of us saw them with our own eyes. The blasts in New York shook the offices of Investor Relations magazine, located in the financial district a few blocks from the World Trade Center.
We could focus on the tragic losses of the IR community – indeed, there were some. We could look wider to focus on the losses of the business community or of the entire US. Really, though, there is no-one who remains unaffected by the tragedy. No matter what side of the political, religious or geographic fences we find ourselves on, it has become clear that the world has emerged into a new era, one in which people treat one another differently.
The attacks mark the end of the old era as well as the beginning of the new one. True, weeks later the streets of New York continue to look like a bomb zone patrolled by armed guards and police. Soldiers on Wall Street and New York’s altered skyline are perhaps the most vivid signs of our new era. However, it has become obvious that there are many many more changes to come.
These tragic events have filled us with unspeakable sadness. Yet they have also made us incredibly grateful for the gift of life granted to everyone who escaped.
After all, that’s where we have to begin, isn’t it? We have to look at ourselves and those around us and realize we must move on from where we are. We have to put one foot in front of the other to move slowly, carefully forward. We have to get back to those things we do. We have to get down to business as usual. And perhaps some of us will also look for ways to do a little more – both in the short term, by contributing to relief efforts, and in the long term, in every aspect of our lives and careers.
