“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking
new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
— Marcel Proust
The illustration above is not disrespectful of the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center and certainly not of the 9/11 families. Editorial cartoons are meant to make people examine accepted wisdom and this one does that very well. The American public has no idea how the current memorial and museum came to be. The official design was strongly challenged by many victims’ loved ones from the start and their concerns have never received the respectful airing they deserve. It is time for them to be heard.
This is the natural starting point for any proposal to make the site more fitting. The memorial is and will always be at the heart of the site. The memorial pools have served a very important purpose since 2011, however, for the reasons that follow, they are not the ultimate tribute to those whose deaths left unfathomable holes in so many hearts.
It is time to start looking up instead of down. The reason this plan starts with moving the 9/11 Memorial and Museum to another part of the site is not to make way for the Twin Towers but because it is time for a noble upgrade.
