9/11

[Lily]

Fellow Meetuppers,

I don't write to our whole community often, but this week is
special because it's the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and many
people don't know that Meetup is a 9/11 baby.

Let me tell you the Meetup story. I was living a couple miles
from the Twin Towers, and I was the kind of person who thought
local community doesn't matter much if we've got the internet
and tv. The only time I thought about my neighbors was when I
hoped they wouldn't bother me.

When the towers fell, I found myself talking to more neighbors
in the days after 9/11 than ever before. People said hello to
neighbors (next-door and across the city) who they'd normally
ignore. People were looking after each other, helping each
other, and meeting up with each other. You know, being
neighborly.

A lot of people were thinking that maybe 9/11 could bring
people together in a lasting way. So the idea for Meetup was
born: Could we use the internet to get off the internet -- and
grow local communities?

We didn't know if it would work. Most people thought it was a
crazy idea -- especially because terrorism is designed to make
people distrust one another.

A small team came together, and we launched Meetup 9 months
after 9/11.

Today, almost 10 years and 10 million Meetuppers later, it's
working. Every day, thousands of Meetups happen. Moms Meetups,
Small Business Meetups, Fitness Meetups... a wild variety of
100,000 Meetup Groups with not much in common -- except one
thing.

Every Meetup starts with people simply saying hello to
neighbors. And what often happens next is still amazing to me.
They grow businesses and bands together, they teach and
motivate each other, they babysit each other's kids and find
other ways to work together. They have fun and find solace
together. They make friends and form powerful community. It's
powerful stuff.

It's a wonderful revolution in local community, and it's thanks
to everyone who shows up.

Meetups aren't about 9/11, but they may not be happening if it
weren't for 9/11.

9/11 didn't make us too scared to go outside or talk to
strangers. 9/11 didn't rip us apart. No, we're building new
community together!!!!

The towers fell, but we rise up. And we're just getting started
with these Meetups.

Scott Heiferman (on behalf of 80 people at Meetup HQ)
Co-Founder & CEO, Meetup
New York City
September 2011

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[jacklawson]

Thanks for this, it demonstrates the indomitability of the human spirit.

[BlueLotus]

I had just arrived home from a 15 hr shift at the factory when I turned on the tv.
I watched the second plane hit and watched in horror as the towers fell.
My son was two, in the days that followed he asked me "where all the airplanes went to?"

I had no idea how to answer that, I was still working hard to understand it myself. I settled for "They went home to sleep." He is old enough nw to understand the events, but I still find myself wishing to sheild him from the ugly nature of humanity... Perhaps I am wrong in doing this but I don't want him to grow up worried about these things, I want him to grow up like I did where the world was mostly safe and people were just that people. Not a religion or a political agenda.

The day of the attacks I went to the store mostly because I wanted to make sure we had food and water because no one seemed to know what was going to happen next.
Zharra, the owner was working by herself that day, she was from Jordan. Sweetest person I had ever met, there was this African American lady cussing up a blue streak calling her all sorts of names and told her to "take her stank, scarf wearing ass home." Zharra was nearly in tears as I pushed my way up to the counter listening to the people I cut off yell...
I asked her if she was ok and she asked what was going on because that was the 10th person who had gone off on her. I told her about what happened on TV and her face fell. See she was from Jordan, but she had lived here most of her life. Her family migrated here looking to have oppertunities for their only child (her) when she was six. She was Sixty, on 9-11-01. America is her home, the only one she knows... and she loves it like I do. I sat with her for the rest of the day, I was not going to leave her alone there to face all those stupid people who felt the need to lash out at anyone who looked "different"
When her husband finally was able to get to the store after his shift ended at ford, he thanked me for staying.
My only response was "that is what friends do for each other."

I will never be able to forget that day, it was so sad, and the anger we as a nation felt then bubbles just under the surface... My wish is that someday we can all learn to sit with someone they don't know well, just to make sure they are safe. Regardless of their belief system, or whom they pray to.

A world of heros, helping hands, and love.

My challange to people as a way to remember the people of that day is to go out of your way and help someone that normaly you would not talk to... It might surprise you what you find out about them.

It starts with one...

[Lily]

That poor woman was lucky to have a friend like you, BlueLotus. I do feel for people from the Middle East living in the West. It can't be easy. The vast majority are decent law abiding citizens who detest terrorism as much as we do.

Thank you for sharing.