Beyond the Rhetoric

“When I said the city would be stronger, I didn’t know that. I just hoped it. There are parts of you that say, ‘Maybe we’re not going to get through this.’ You don’t listen to them.”

Today is a sombre day for many Americans and for many people all around the world. Today is the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Some have said that the events of 9/11 defined a generation and it is clear that what happened on that day has had far-reaching ramifications, both domestically and internationally.

Rudolph William Louis Giuliani, better known to most simply as “Rudy” Giuliani, was the Mayor of New York City at the time and many have applauded his efforts to pull the city together during that tragic time. Again, you may not agree with some of his politics, just as you may not agree with someone like Charlton Heston, but I think most of us can agree that he did a good job at the time, facing the circumstances that he did.

He needed to step up as a true leader of his city. It was no longer about this party or that interest. It was no longer about being an elitist or being of the people, because we were all in it together. And that’s what is most important. It was easy to turn to the doom and gloom, but that’s not what Rudy did. In his own words:

“Leaders need to be optimists. Their vision is beyond the present.”

And that’s where we find ourselves today, just a little over one year away from the 2012 US Presidential Election. What will the next ten years bring?

Tags: 9/11, memorable quotes, patriot

Filed under Personal Development.