Apocalypse.
Last night I found something very odd. In the bottom of one of my drawers I found a newspaper from September 12th 2001, the headline was “APOCALYPSE”, obviously it had had an image of the burning twin towers on the front page. I remember that exact day, it was a Tuesday and the first day of my Art Foundation course at my local college. My tutor announced; “From this day on you are a designer/painter/sculptor, this is the first day of your career.” Then it happened. I kept the paper as it must be the biggest single news story of my lifetime. I remember having a conversation with my Dad about what possible targets there would be in the UK. We decided it would be the tube, our exact words were: “sitting duck.” This all feels very weird, predicting it and then surviving it first hand. If you read my account of July 7th you will know I was in London to get a job. It was the last few days of my undergraduate degree, the morning of the first day our exhibition was open to the public and the day to meet industry and get a job. My undergraduate education has been sandwiched by terrorism, I don’t know what to make of it. There is nothing to make of it, it’s just one of those odd coincidences. Thought I would share it.
posted by steve at 10:06 AM
7 Comments:
Definately strange and odd. It's strange how our lives are marked/remembered by certain pieces of history. Where were you when....??
Indeed, I wonder how we will react if someone asks us "where were you when London was bombed?"
wierd indeed....but you are learning & growing whilst, it seems, our leaders are not...
i remember being terrified for friends in NYC when 7/11 happened....we all knew it would happen here eventually, but little did any of us ever imagine that we'd be there....i'm not sure we were there 'for a reason'....it was just bloody bad luck....now we all deserve some good luck
I never know how to react when people say: "It was fate you were meant to be there, it happened for a reason." I find it hard to get my head round the concept of fate, there is nothing more to it than he bombed a train, I was on it, and lucky enough to be 3 metres away. Luck (bad and good) yes, fate no.
I don't beleove anyone was there 'for a reason'. What, people deserved to be killed for a reason? Maimed for a reason? Hurt for a reason? No. No, as far as I am concerned.
It was a senseless and evil waste of life; that we who were there ahve managed to make something good come out of it is great BUT that is a bonus. It shouldn't have happened as far as I am concerned and I will do what I can to stop it happening again.
People have said to me 'oh, you were close to history.'. No, I was close to a disgusting criminal act of mass murder. Don't glamorise it, that's what I say.
You said it better than me, Steve.
Looking forward to a pint on Thursday!
May I say something else. When we go through terrible things, there is a tempation to "wallow", to look at no other subject, see no other friends except those who relate to the incidence. But it's not the best way. Kings Cross United is a wonderful idea, but don't get inward looking. :-)
Maybe it's not, just chance, that you still have your lives. Stay focused on enjoying them.
PPS xxxx kisses and hugs.
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