See Forever

My dearest readers,

I am profoundly honored to write this post in New York City, birthplace of some of the most gifted figures in art and history. Most see me being here as a reward for my recent graduation, but the truth is: it is but an intersection, an interface between my past and my future, because one period of my life has ended, and another one is yet to come. Now I could rest on my laurels, or I can catch a breath and brace for whatever is coming up, and see it through. And if seeing is believing I might as well stay armed to see forever.

It had been twelve years since I first visited Ground Zero, the remains of once a symbol of power and strength. The construction pit bore witness to the very day that changed all our lives forever, a day anyone can recall as if it had been yesterday, the smoke and the dust, the flames and the tears. A famous skyline landmark was no more, had been erased, and eventually mingled with the concrete and steel that once held it together before it collapsed with the many lives lost in between. There was never going to be anything like it again, I heard people say back then, for the entire world had been shaken.

But now, twelve years later, I visited what once had been Ground Zero. Only a few cranes nearby reminded me of the gigantic construction site I had seen over a decade ago. What struck me were the pools to remind one of the severe pain suffered in the past, but what struck me slightly more was a bluish crystal spine that reached into the sky and vanished in the light overcast as though it wanted direct one toward the firmament. Needless to say that "[a]lmost nothing need be said when you have eyes" (Tarjei Vesaas).

The observatory program was titled See Forever. Standing in front of the tower looking up was one impression, but being on top and looking down another one, nearly surreal, not because of the view, but knowing that it had been built upon the many lives and sacrifices and was furthermore a profound statement that came out of suffering. Following the building progress throughout the past years, the design, and everything that came with it, it was nothing but overwhelming to see what man had built. And it had further been a profound statement that there never were any doubts that hope and greatness would prevail at last.

Nietzsche once wrote: "Glance into the world just as though time were gone: and everything crooked will become straight to you." We will always remember! A crooked passage in history took time to process, but eventually it became straight. And likewise our at times crooked past is to become straight. It depends on our belief and on our endurance to create greatness out of suffering. In that sense, seeing becomes believing, not in a conventional sense but with regards to foresight in our lives.

What do you see? Bear in mind that "[k]nowing it and seeing it are two different things" (Suzanne Collins). But if you tend to see things through with an eager eye, know that out of whatever suffering, your indefinite foundation, you will be able to erect a building so beautiful to leave people speechless. Therefore, do not rest on either laurels or pain that reposes in the past, but brace for the future, your future, and see it through, because then you will see forever!