This week contained an anniversary that forever changed the course of history. On Tuesday we remembered the 17th anniversary of the terrorist attack on U.S. soil. In memory of those affected by the event, we dedicate this writing.
Flashbulb memories are described as a recollection of an event so vividly that one can recall it in so much detail, that thinking about it can bring back the feelings that were felt at the time. Some people can remember exactly where they were, what they were wearing, who was in their company and so many more things that is not part of normal memory.
In the Fall of 2000, I remember taking a college psychology course in which the professor told the class that unless you experience a flashbulb memory, it is hard to really understand what it means. He shared with us his first experience of a flashbulb memory, it was when President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963. He was able to recall the details so precisely that he gave himself goosebumps. Little did I know at the time that my first experience with a flashbulb memory would come a year later September 11, 2001.
I was a sophomore at UCSB, getting ready for my 8 a.m. macro-economics class that I had taken that summer. Like most students, I had set my alarm to go off with just enough time to jump out of bed, get ready and run to class to make it on time. I had been following this routine all summer, and like most days, I did not expect anything different. Except, that morning was anything but normal.
There it was, my first flashbulb experience. On TV I saw the North Tower of the World Trade Center up in smoke. A few minutes later, I witnessed the North Tower crumble to pieces. Like many of you the feelings of fear, anger and hope battled for control.
The events that unfolded that morning will be vividly plastered in all our memories forever. So many lives were changed because of that event; the course of history was changed because of that morning. I think it is important to remember the victims of the 9/11 tragedy and all our service men and women who lost their lives because of the events that subsequently unfolded. We will never forget you.
Next week our normal market commentary will continue.
– Luis Galdamez, CFA, CFP, AIF
Surevest Private Wealth
