It is seventy years since the start of what has become known as the Blitz, a period beginning on 6th September 1940 and ending on 10 May 1941 during which the German Nazi Luftwaffe bombed towns and cities across the UK. By the time the Blitz was over, more than 43,000 civilians, half of them in London, had been killed by bombing and more than a million houses were destroyed or damaged in London alone.
On Wednesday, home late after my rehearsal with the London Symphony Chorus, I watch ITV’s Words of the Blitz, in which footage of the Blitz is accompanied by readings from the diaries and letters of the men and women who experienced the attacks and their aftermath. The people reading these letters include some who wrote them, and the descendants of some who wrote them. Even knowing how unlikely it is that I will see what I seek, I find my eyes scanning the footage for a glimpse of my grandfather who, as a conscientious objector during World War II, chose to support the war effort by staying in London during the Blitz whilst his wife and children, including my mother, evacuated to Cornwall where they spent the war. I wonder, too, about the full depth and breadth of experiences of my family during this time.
It is also nine years since the day that has become known as 9/11. At home on the ninth anniversary I choose to watch Channel 4’s 9/11: State of Emergency. This minute-by-minute documentary combines both footage of the day and present-day testimonial to show how the day unfolded. As it draws to a close, the narrator emphasises the thousands of decisions that were made that day and which, for many, meant the difference between life and death.
As I head towards bed, I ponder our present-day choices. For it is one thing to look back on these events and reflect and another to make choices, based on our reflections, which shape our forward path. I think of the men and women who have protested against plans to build an Islamic Centre and Mosque close to Ground Zero, the area that remains following the destruction of the Twin Towers on 9/11. I think, too, of the US pastor who has made world news after saying he will burn a copy of the Koran in protest at the proposed Islamic Centre. I know that each man and woman is making the best choices he or she knows how and I feel humble, knowing that I cannot know what choices I might make in their shoes. And still, I yearn for choices that will move us towards – rather than away from – the outcomes I desire most. Towards peace. Towards understanding. Towards compassion. Towards harmony.
Seth Godin, formidable marketeer, puts it this way in his blog posting of Saturday, 11th September, 2010:
Lately, some marketers would like to push us to move from fear to hatred. It makes it easier for them. We honor and remember the heroes who gave everything, the innocent who were lost, the neighbors who narrowly escaped. A day to hate? I hope we can do better than that.