In the days after the Twin Towers fell 10 years ago, there was an eerie hush. No planes interrupted the stillness and shock of that suddenly quiet sky.
In the 10 years since, it's been a different story. At times the sound and fury that followed Sept. 11, 2001 has been deafening.
Two wars have been fought, neither of which definitively solved the terrorist threat that supposedly started them.
Far more people have died in the aftermath of 9/11 than perished in the attacks themselves.
With the perspective of 10 years, it's debatable if the rhetoric of the "War on Terror" has done much to improve our lives.
It was disappointing then to hear Stephen Harper recently trot out the Islamic boogeyman as the biggest threat to the nation.
Recent events in Norway showed terror comes in many forms, many of them unpredictable and random.
Those who have risen and overthrown tyrants in the Arab spring this year have also been Muslims, fighting for many of the same freedoms we enjoy.
Much has changed in the past 10 years, but the ghost of 9/11 still haunts us. Are we safer now or just more scared?
We're different than we were, less trusting. The Fortress North America that's defined our security overkill now invades our most innocuous dealings.
Ten years on, it's important to remember how we were and still strive to get back those qualities we lost in our rush to make our world safer.
