How do we “know” what we know?

In remembering 9/11, I was deeply moved by a New York Times article covering something new about the day that I’d never considered.  This is where I say I am uncertain about telling you what I learned.  We assume responsibility when we share news with others. Even if my intentions are good, I can’t know, or judge in advance, what “my knowledge” will mean to you.  And am I sure about our own motives?  What I learned about 9/11 opened my heart a little wider (a good thing), it made me sad in a way I wasn’t before (a good thing?), and sharing with you makes me feel a little less lonely with these painful feelings (good for me…good for you?…good for us?).  I can’t decide this for “us.” You’ll read more, or not, and decide for yourself.

I learned that there are photos, captured by disposable camera and taken from the upper north tower floors after the planes struck.  The camera was found among the rubble, the photos are secreted away in FBI files, virtually no one has seen them. The existence of these photos is compelling because the entirety of the day has otherwise been documented, dissected, and studied.  We can “understand” the events of the day, or least try to. These unseen photos capture something that defies understanding, and not simply because “we” haven’t seen them.  They show the faces of human beings stuck in place and struck by fear, not knowing (at the moment the photos were taken) what we know about them:  that they will be counted among the 2,977 who died. 

Just knowing about these photos felt overwhelming to me.  And yet I share it with you.   Big questions about “knowledge” and “who has it” can feel abstract and academic, hence all the quotation marks.  Mindfulness practice helps bring “big things” down to a manageable level.  Mindfulness is practical, it’s something we do.  We bring awareness… one breath at a time, one moment at a time…to what is going on.  Mindfulness practice – the sharing it in community especially – helps us ask and answer hard questions about what needs to be shared, how we share it, and can we hold it.  I have a hard time remembering 9/11, and all the hard things that come with it, without bringing this practice to bear.

I will not talk more about these particular hard things on Sunday morning!  I’ll share a story about a family photograph none of my relatives have likely seen, and why I keep it close.

What’re you holding on to and what are you noticing?   Come sit in the beautiful Beechwood space…enjoy live music (this week, this week oboist Barbara Midney)...and connect with supportive community.  Bring a friend!