GRANTS, N.M. 9/11’s events struck us so suddenly and deeply that we are still traumatized and reactive at heart. I was slow to realize its magnitude until I saw a program on public TV that described the attach on the Pentagon. We mourn those who were taken, but perhaps we should mourn the loss of our innocent vanity as the “good guys” the inventors, the protectors of freedom.
Whether or not we recover these traits, there is another event at the World Trade Center I want to tell you about. It happened at the inception of the buildings. Maybe finding out about it will remind readers of unexpected good things, of daring feats of skill and creativity. Even though it was planned and delivered by a Frenchman, it personifies the spirit, indeed the essence, of our values as United States citizens.
We are lucky to have a film about it, which apparently is on Netflix, but can be researched (see notes below) on Wikipedia.
Philippe Petit is a tightrope artist. Back in 1971 by chance he read about the two towers, which were then under construction, and decided that he would walk between them. The audacity, the sheer insanity of this boggles the mind, or at least my mind.
He needed helpers and had to prepare everything secretly – no authority would allow such a dangerous feat. The Towers were close to a quarter of a mile high, and Philippe did not have a net. These are only some general details about his amazing “walk” which was more of a dance. Please watch this film; I hope it inspires you as much as it did me.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Walk is a 2015 American biographical drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis, who cowrote the screenplay with Christopher Browne. It is based on the story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit's walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Petit, alongside
Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon, James Badge Dale, Ben Schwartz, and Steve Valentine.
The film is dedicated to the victims of the September 11 attacks.