The Most Beautiful Place in the World

I'm sitting on the plane as I write this--it is 9/11/2011.  It didn't even dawn on me until Wolf Blitzer announced on a news show that there was a travel alert due to the 10 year anniversary of the World Trade Center tragedy. 

Ten years ago today while in a foreign country on the trip of a lifetime the hotel clerk asked--"Aren't you American?".  I was shown in to a black and white TV with pictures of the twin towers going down and news tape across the bottom was all I could understand.  

The next day was my scheduled return to the USA.  After 5 full days of hotel roulette--that is giving up your hotel room betting you will get a seat on the plane--I got to see the most beautiful place I have ever seen--Will Rogers World Airport in OKC.

Nothing beats home when the world is in an uproar. 

 

USA Today reminded me of president Bush's plea to Americans--"... If we change our standard of living the terrorists win." I remember being hopeful that a side benefit of the 9/11 tragedy would be people living more compassionate and value centered lives. 

Right now it is hard for me to see how America is better off than it was 10 years ago.  Parts of the world surely are by historical standards.

How can we help separate money from politics and happiness?