E-mails: A New Way to Say "I Love You"
by John Rzasa   

   It’s so much easier to say I love you over the Internet than in person. People can do so much more from a keyboard than they can face to face. Immediately after the September 11 attacks, ISPs were flooded with e-mails to loved ones, making sure everything was ok. Almost all of these messages ended with an "I love you."

   Terrorism in your own backyard will definitely make you realize how fragile life is. About an hour and a half away from ground zero, I work at a grill and bar with a bunch of my college friends. There was a deep connection between us on September 11. We all showed up to work before opening. Although none of us were scheduled to be there, being away from our families made us all need the next best thing – our close friends. We stared at the TVs on the wall in silence, holding on to each other. And when the Twin Towers collapsed, we also broke. The thought of being trapped inside those buildings was more than overwhelming. Some of my friends started praying out loud, and others sobbed. I tried calling my parents and everyone I could think of who means something to me. Everyone was trying to reach someone.

   News reports indicate that ISPs such as Prodigy and AOL  in the weeks following the attacks said people sent more e-mail than ever before. People were able to express their concern for each other, speak feelings of disbelief, make up and say "I love you." They could do all of this knowing that what they wanted to say would sound exactly how they wanted it to. People wrote and re-wrote e-mails knowing that something in the world was different. The events of September 11 affected people around this world in countless ways. Were these attacks a reason to come together? A reason to make a change? Was this the beginning of the end? The following excerpts from original emails sent around September 11 suggest that some e-mailers were getting ready for something more ...

   “Well, what do I know? Now I hear President Bush has been brought to SAC, where there’s a safe underground location that’s been there for years. I imagine this has put all of Omaha on edge. Just a horrific, horrific day…. Please take special care, honey. I love you bunches and bunches and bunches… Mom :-[”

   “Did you hear the news? There are some terrorist threats for this coming week too.. We don’t know where or when.. Please come home if you hear anything really bad, so we can all go together! I guess you never know anymore. Just pray for the world, it’s so mixed up. I love you. Mom”

   It’s an eerie feeling  when you read something from a loved one who is close to you, and they’re ultimately making everything all right in case they never see you again. From the terrorist attacks on the U.S., people have learned to be more courteous and compassionate and to take care of their neighbors. We see less road-rage and more people holding the door open for strangers. These kind actions are the result of the same silent "I love you’s" and "I care’s" that we find in e-mails following September 11. 

   People now realize how precious life is.