The Fragility of Time

Along with millions around the world, I have been thinking about the upcoming 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States.

I am completely incapable of imagining the terror felt by the victims, the heroism they showed in helping one another, and the profound grief carried by their families. But the loss and incomprehensibility feel as raw to me today as they did then. I think of the first responders and the people in the streets, feeling helpless in the face of what had befallen them. I know there are many silent stories that will never surface. I think of the Labor Day holiday we observed just days ago and wonder how the survivors, their families, and others closest to the tragedy navigate this season of remembrance, from Labor Day weekend to the anniversary itself, when distraction simply does not work.

The expression "How Time Flies," a translation of the Latin phrase tempus fugit, coined by the Roman poet Virgil in Georgics, means that time escapes us. It is irretrievable.

We cannot retrieve what we have lost.

But we can protect what remains.

The memories. The love. The work. The dreams. The heroism. The lessons.

September 11 is a feeling many of us would rather avoid. Perhaps we have, at times, over the last twenty-four years. But not this year. We all remember where we were that day and what it felt like searching for information, for answers, for something to steady our hearts amid the shock, fear, and disorientation.

I remember exactly where I was.

It was the day we founded Knowledge Equity Partners, Inc., the company that would produce MapToTrack ten years later. We weren't sure whether we should even hold our meeting as news continued to pour in. But, like many others, we felt compelled to press ahead as the unthinkable tragedy unfolded in real time thousands of miles away.

Our expertise was critical infrastructure, particularly the telecommunications networks that knit the world together. We speculated at length about how those systems would withstand the attack. In an eerie way, it generated a quiet determination to do something. Talking through those scenarios provided a small salve for an emotional wound that would not cease.

So during this hard week, when memories are at their clearest and time feels most fragile, we salute the countless victims and heroes whose actions continue to guide us. Their legacy reminds us of the fragility of the time we have together, whether at work, at play, pursuing a dream, or sharing our love for one another.

September 11 remains, above all, a day of remembrance.