One of the founding principals of Marshall Arts is to use the enemy’s strength against them. Don’t try to out muscle someone stronger than you. Use their own weight against them. When your enemy is charging at you, step aside and push them in the direction they’re charging.
19 hijackers did just that using 4 planes and box cutters, and turned the 800 pound Gorilla upside down. They took down the Twin Towers, they severely damaged the Pentagon, and took a plane down in Philadelphia killing everyone on it. Not in a million years could anyone even dreamed that as a possibility. It was unthinkable and unimaginable.
Let’s remember, in February of 1993 there was a terrorist attack below the North Tower of the World Trade when a truck detonated killing 6 people and injuring 1000 people. A freaking disaster to say the least.
But that wasn’t good enough for the terrorists. And other terrorists organizations learned that traditional bombing attacks wasn’t going to work. NYC’s infrastructure was too strong.
So not only was 9/11 a life changing experience to the United States, but, it was a break-through for terrorists. They knew that success was found not by going up against the 800 pound Gorilla, but by going with him. Use their own strength against them.
Terrorists organizations having been practicing that same methodology here and around the world. The San Bernardino attack in California. Some of terrorists arrested in conjunction with that attack admitted they loved America’s loose gun laws. It was easy for them to kill a-lot of people. In July of 2016, a 31 year old terrorist took a rented cargo truck and ran over 86 people at a firework’s celebration. In October of 2017 in NYC, a terrorist sped down a bike-only path killing 8 people and injuring 11.
9/11 opened the floodgates of terrorism.
The take away for me is to be cognizant of my surroundings. If I’m in a crowded place, I am aware of that. I don’t get lost in the experience anymore. Same thing with concerts, which I don’t go to, but if I did, I’d have some safety rules for myself I did go them. Look at the Ariana Grande concert in May of 2017 at the Manchester Arena in England, a suicide bomber killed 19 People and injured 50.
My own personal timeline with the Twin Towers:
1. In 1975 I went to the Twin Towers with my father (hard-hat and all) as construction was in it’s final chapters. The landlords were inviting commercial real estate brokers to start marketing office space to their clients.
2. In 1994, I interviews with Wil Raub at Cantor Fitzgerald on the 103rd Floor. I did not get the job due to lack of experience. Wil was killed on September 11th, 2001. He was a nice man. He told me never offer to work for free on Wall Street.
3. I commuted through the Twin Towers to NJ everyday from 1995 util the summer of 2000. I spent a lot of time in those towers even on a social bases.
4. I lived at 300 Mercer street, a mile north of the towers when they were destroyed. I was never able to return home again. My apartment smelled like burnt rubber tires.
When I think of the B-line experience I had walking through the towers in 1976, to living near the towers when they fell on September, 11th, 2001 it all seems surreal. 19 years later surreal.
Thanks for reading