Vladimir Levin, New York

In MZ (My Zdes – We are Here) www.newswe.com

On September 11th, 2001, the world stumbled. Had inhabitants of extraterrestrial civilizations been observing our planet, they saw, possibly, how the Earth shuddered. Manhattan became like a boxer who had his teeth knocked out, because New York without those two 110-story towers is not the same. A new epoch had begun, but at the time we had not even guessed this.

Every New Yorker has his or her own September 11th. In my family this day was a holiday, because on the 11^th our youngest and dearest little girl was born. Usually on this day we would all go to an old park on the marvelous island to celebrate her birthday. From morning on, on that day, I had been looking forward with pleasure to the forthcoming encounter with our young, during which usually 60–70 gather with their children. They are interesting children who have become specialists in this country. They are bright and educated — modern-day America.

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During the last three days the number of victims of the worst terror act in the history of our country has risen.

Today at exactly 1:05 pm Moscow time white balloons will rocket up into the sky above the partially-destroyed school building in Beslan – 334 of them – the number that died on that day three years ago. More specifically, there will be three more than on the first anniversary.

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The human response to grief over time becomes formalized, and turns into a date on the calendar. On the day of mourning a departed loved one, a person will grieve sincerely and formally, but he observes ritual and does not allow himself any entertainment. As a rule, however, this applies only to his own grief, his own personal loss. A person sympathizes with another person’s grief only for a short time, and he does not enter it into his personal calendar.

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Three years ago, right before our eyes, a bloody drama unfolded http://www.vremya.ru/2007/158/4/186166.html when armed terrorists captured more than 1,100 hostages in a school in the North Ossetian town of Beslan. Two years earlier, a similar attack took place in a theatrical center of the capital, on Dubrovka Street. Hostage taking, unfortunately, has become a commonplace, modern-day reality.

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