The Domino Effect of Terror - Twenty-One Years Ago

[My thoughts shared earlier today with FINN Partners colleagues. FINN is centered around seven values - the first, "work hard and play nice." It is a core belief that we must lead with consideration and kindness and work to unite communities.]

On this day, 21 years ago, our world was catapulted into chaos.?Terror on any scale rips apart people’s lives. What follows closely on its heels is despair, sorrow, anger and hatred.?These are all footprints that carnage and smoke leave behind.?In remembrance, my thoughts are with you, especially to colleagues and families who feel the enduring loss.?Terror is not new to the world.?Its massive power to impact hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, and even millions of people result from many different reasons and sources.?Heartbreaking is the only word to express my sorrow.?

My neighbor is an editor at the Wall Street Journal.?I remember as he returned from his lower Manhattan office to our little hamlet outside New York City – Metuchen, New Jersey – his tall, lean frame white with ash and his glazed eyes.?Days later, local police tagged cars unclaimed in our commuter town’s train parking lot. I also think of soldiers called to arms and people far away whose lives were also terribly disrupted.?One thing is sure; terror creates an ugly domino effect.

I often think of our first core value at FINN Partners – work hard and play nice. It seems small in comparison to this day of remembrance.?It is not.?We apply this value to our community.?What might happen if we channel its fullest potential on the world??To unite instead of disrupting??To understand how it feels to be in someone else’s shoes.?To consider an even better third way rather than battle either or positions?

This morning, I went to our small village’s town square near the train station – the same station where 21 years ago people disembarked, stunned and scared.?There is a memorial that remembers life lost.?I was alone in the drizzle and read through the names of people whose life potential was lost.?We cannot bring those people back into this world.?We can imagine the worlds they hoped to live through their labor and love and do a bit more to make FINN and our expansive communities brighter.