observances

A few more (quite grainy) pics from the impromptu celebration down on the Common.

Was it right to celebrate? The crowd was mostly college students from BU; I'd wager the majority of them weren't yet teenagers on 9/11 (although we all grew up a bit on that day). All I can say is that I was there, and it felt less like a vengeful mob gloating over a death and more like a festival marking the end of an era. I saw Americans from all ethnic backgrounds. I heard no rejoicing in the blood spilled in the past 10 years. I smelled more pot than beer. And I walked away with a shared optimism that together, we had lived through a dark time, and would one day see the dawn of a better one.

Nearly a week later, the problems we face haven't gone away. Circumstances haven't yet changed, and may not. That day, just like election night 2008, and inauguration day 2009, might not bring about all the change many of us hoped for. But I am glad to have lived to see it.