[1] Seasons of Love by Jodi Decker
"Five hundred twenty-five
thousand six hundred minutes,
Five hundred twenty-five
thousand moments so dear.
Five hundred twenty-five
thousand six hundred minutes,
How do you measure—measure a
year?
In daylights, in sunsets,
in midnights, in cups of
coffee,
in inches, in miles, in
laughter, in strife?
How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
Measure in Love.
Seasons of Love, seasons of
love.
Five hundred twenty-five
thousand six hundred minutes,
Five hundred twenty-five
thousand journeys to plan.
Five hundred twenty-five
thousand six hundred minutes,
How do you measure the life of
a woman or man?
In truths that she learned
Or in times that he cried?
In bridges he burned
Or the way that she died?
It’s time now, to sing out
Though the story never ends.
Let’s celebrate,
Remember a year in the life of
friends.
Remember the love.
Remember the love.
Remember the love.
Measure in love.
Measure, measure your life in
love. Seasons of love, seasons of
love."
“Seasons of Love,” originally written as a song for the Broadway
musical Rent, best captures the
significance of life’s meaning regarding the worst human death toll in United
States history, 9-11.
On September 11th,
2001, the United States lost over 3,000 lives in a terrorist attack on the World
Trade Center and the Pentagon. 4
United States airplanes, bearing passengers, were hijacked from Boston by
Islamic extremist terrorists.
Two of the planes were
subsequently flown directly into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, 30
minutes apart, eventually leading to the towers’ collapse. As news media covered the attack on the first tower, a
horrified, stunned, and unsuspecting nation witnessed the broadcast of the
second plane hitting the
second tower, live.
This was an unbelievable, surreal moment in American collective memory.
Many witnesses stated that they felt they were watching a special effect
in a movie.
As the buildings exploded into
fire, and subsequently collapsed, some occupants were seen jumping from the
building. Other occupants were able
to escape prior to the buildings’ collapsing, by walking down the stairwell.
Later, as rescue workers rushed to the aide of the victims, many of them
were killed when the buildings collapsed. Over
300 members of the New York Fire Fighters were killed.
A third hijacked plane struck the Pentagon, killing 300 some people on
the ground. A fourth hijacked
plane, believed to be headed toward the White House, crashed in Pennsylvania.
Unverified, but substantial evidence exists, to suggest that several of
the plane’s passengers, after talking to and saying their good-byes
via cell phones to family members on the ground, learned of the other
hijacked planes’ fates, and heroically disrupted the hijacker’s intentions. Through force or distraction, they caused the plane to crash
before reaching its final destination. The
investigation continues. Airlines
were grounded for several days after the attacks for the first time in American
history, and now airports are practicing increased screening and security of all
passengers and planes.
The attacks were linked to Osama Bin Laden, an Islamic leader, who
declared this as a holy war. A
videotape was found of his conversations with a sheik, discussing the
anticipated casualties of this action, and implying that most of the terrorists
didn’t even know that they were going on a suicide mission until shortly
before the implementation. Muslims
across the world condemned his
actions and disavowed any religious doctrine or moral support for this activity;
however, there are those in the Middle East who are in alliance with the
extremist terrorists; utilizing the rationale that Americans have violated holy
Islamic lands.
On October 7th, 2001, the United States declared war on the
terrorists, primarily located in Afghanistan, but believed to be throughout the
Middle East as well as within the United States. American air and ground troops have been sent to Afghanistan
in an effort to locate and capture or kill Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban
leaders. President Bush declared
that this effort may take years to accomplish.
The song “Seasons of Love” was written originally to celebrate the
lives of individuals who have succumbed to the deadly AIDS virus.
However, many stories of individual and collective heroism, as well as
ordinary lives lived, came out of the tragedy of 911.
That day was a reawakening to many that we never know the appointed time
or day of our death; we don’t know our ultimate destiny, and that we will most
be remembered for the love we have for others and they had for us.
James 4:14 says, “How do you know what will happen tomorrow?
For your life is like the morning fog, it’s here a little while, then
it’s gone.” The legacy that all
those individuals left us was to continue to live our lives to the fullest and
to be remembered for our seasons of love.
[1] Rent, Jonathan Larson