“Men love their ideas more than their lives. And the more preposterous the idea, the more eager they are to die for it. And to kill for it.”
(Repost from September 11, 2006)
What can one say about the untimely death of someone you’ve never met? Words ring hollow, and no matter how many times I try to write this, it is simply not “good enough.” I, for one, have never forgotten, and refuse to forget, the winking out of 2,996 lives on 9/11. To do so would be the ultimate insult to the memories of those innocents. Yes, I said innocents.
When Dorota Kopiczko was assigned to me in this project, it quickly became apparent that this would be a very difficult task for me. I have stared at her photos for days now, waiting for her to speak to me, to give me some hint on how to proceed. But there is simply no way for me to put into words who she was, what she meant to so others, what she dreamed of. She has haunted me day and night.
Luckily, this beautiful lady, nicknamed “Sunshine” at her office in the World Trade Center, has far better people to speak for her than me. This is what her co-workers and friends had to say about Dorota:
She was one of the best people I have ever known…
I would not have thought then how much she would impact my life…
She had a beautiful voice, great outgoing personality and many dreams…
Her smile always brightened my day…
Absolutely beautiful and outstanding human being. Very sweet, caring, loving and much loved…
She bubbled through the office every day — she was known there as Sunshine…
Mr. Silverback wrote in the Free Republic that “We didn’t lose almost 3,000 people that day. We lost one wonderful person at a time, almost 3,000 times.” Truer words could not have been written.
I sit here, futilely trying to put some meaning to the death of this woman, and find none. The murder of those 2,996 innocents was a brutal, meaningless act by a pack of wolves firmly entrenched in a seventh century mindset. The murder of Dorota was a crime against the future she so looked forward to. I mourn for her, for her friends, and for her family.
But there is something I can honestly say: Dorota, if I were given the chance to take your place on that tragic morning, I would gladly have traded places with you.
As I read about your dreams, your life, the joy you brought to so many others, I compare them to my life and find myself lacking. Even now, if there were some magical, mysterious way to simply trade places with you, I would do so without the slightest hesitation.
Life does not work that way, however, and so I can only offer you this:
You made such a positive impact on so many lives with your caring, loving spirit. I know you have certainly made an impact on my life this past week.
The very least I can do is to take the qualities that made you such a beautiful person and use them to live my life in a way that would have made you proud. And that I pledge to do. You have left us in one sense, but you will always live in the memories and the hearts of those who cared about you. And I now include myself in that very lucky group of people.
You were 26 years old and you were beautiful in every way that is possible.
No… even that’s not right.
You were perfect.
