 |
Ira Saiger
APAGS Member at Large, Communications |
(This article was first published in the Winter 2002 issue
of the APAGS Newsletter.)
More than a month after the attacks in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania,
my wife and I took the train down on a Sunday morning from our apartment in
Manhattan to ground zero. The small crowds that gathered along the police
perimeter were quiet, well behaved, and spoke in hushed tones. With little
automotive traffic allowed through, the most striking thing about the financial
capitol of the world that morning was the silence masked only by footfalls and
whispers.
I live and work at the north end of Manhattan, and my daily routine was
hardly interrupted, even on the first day that the twin towers were hit. I did
not hear the crash, and happened not to turn on the radio or television that
morning. It was not until I tried to take a hospital shuttle that I heard what
happened. For the rest of the week I had problems with my email, making phone
calls, and getting television reception, but I was able to go about most of my
normal activities during the workday.
But then came the evenings. Listening to the news depressed me. I put on
weight. As the weeks went by, I found more acquaintances and neighbors who had
lost someone in the attacks. For a lot us living in New York City, there was a
collective, slow motion, cinematic numbness that surrounded us. I have noticed
that frequently commuters will still be lost in thought on the subway or bus,
unaware of the queries of neighbors and the loud noises that often punctuate
city life.
The worst part for most people was the sense that they could not contribute
to the rescue and recovery efforts. Even many who wanted to give blood were
turned away on September 12th.
Fortunately for me, I had just started serving my term on the APAGS committee.
Psychologists were among the first volunteers to offer their services to the
grieving family members as well as the rest of us who did not personally know
anyone in killed in the attacks. It was also heartening for me to hear that many
active APAGS members and committees have stated that they believe dealing with
terrorism and its ramifications will become a top priority in our field for at
least the next decade.
As students, the future of our profession, we must do our part. Talk with
your APAGS campus representative about how you can become involved with APAGS.
If you don’t know whom your representative is, please call our office, and we
will try to find out for you. If it turns out there is no one currently
representing your campus, I urge you to volunteer to become the representative.
As life returns to normal, I hope that we should be thankful that, as
psychology graduate students, we are uniquely situated to be able to contribute
to the national healing process, and to shape our national policy for decades to
come. The only way to do that is by becoming involved.
