If you are reading this within 10 days of 9/11/11 and you put a TV on at this moment there is most certainly a tribute or a documentary or maybe even a news fill about 9/11/01. To some of us it’s unsettling to watch. To some of us it’s unsettling to even think about the anniversary of one of the most horrific days in American history. But how many of us really remain committed to the promise “never forget”?
The majority of Trase Miller employees will never forget. Though we are probably not all that unique from ordinary American’s, we reflect on 9/11 with a certain perspective. We are unique in that the vast majority of our employees have been HERE for 10+ years. We remember the panicked calls from stranded passengers. We remember panicked calls from families of travelers that day.
And we remember the layoffs. Many good people lost their jobs here at Trase Miller in Tulsa because of the 9/11 attacks and killings. That’s at a local level. But on a macro level think about it. The 9/11 economic (ongoing) impact is staggering. It has been estimated by Mueller and Stewart (“Terror, Security and Money” – Thank you Wall Street Journal) at $330 billion + $360 billion in incremental homeland security spending + 1.3 trillion in war costs in Afghanistan and Iraq. Wow.
The people most affected by 9/11 are people who lost their loved ones (Nearly 3,000 on 9/11 and more than 6,200 US troops). They will never forget. The brave public servants and volunteer heroes that rescued over 25,000 citizens on 9/11 will also never forget to be sure. And the men and women that serve and protect our country as a result of the 9/11 attacks/murders are in harm’s way every day. How can they ever forget?
Speaking of volunteers and anniversaries - - - Trase Miller is a company culture of caring and this year marks the Tulsa Area United Way's 20th Annual Day of Caring. It is a day dedicated to volunteerism. The Tulsa Area United Way's 20th Annual Day of Caring is one of the largest events of its kind in the nation. During this day, more than 4,100 volunteers log more than 30,000 hours of work on 360 projects across the Tulsa area. Many Trase Miller employees will be there and this is our 15th year of participation.
Volunteers: We appreciate YOU. Brave protectors of our liberty: We appreciate YOU. Those innocent people that lost their lives to the jihadist fanatics: We appreciate YOU and the ultimate SACRIFICE that was made without choice.
Today American’s go skipping into the three day weekend which acts as a trigger point to the start of summer for many. It’s the same this year as last but the world has changed in a year in many ways - -
- Ashton Kutcher and Ellen DeGeneres (combined) have more Twitter followers than the populations of Ireland, Norway, or Panama.
- In the last year YouTube global daily views went up 50% to a whopping 3 billion views per day. “That’s the equivalent of nearly half the world’s population watching a YouTube video each day, or every U.S. resident watching at least nine videos a day.” (According to YouTube)
We ran into a great blog entitled “The Internet Changes Everything — Except Four Things” which talks about how things have changed and how things have stayed the same in the Internet age. According to the author, in many ways the world stays the same - -
“…telecoms are capturing most of the wealth being generated from the Internet. For all the new world hype, the old world has a major role to play. And sometimes focusing on what is not changing help us figure out how to best master changes. We still need to find, delight, and excite customers. We need business models that pay people fairly for their work. Businesses must make a credible case to government that they act in the public interest. And the best asset for mastering change is still that old classic: leadership.
The point of delighting and exciting customers is exactly the reason we get out of bed each day so this article really resonates with us. We love the Internet and all the trappings of Twitter and You Tube but nothing will ever replace the basic human need of live/personal contact with other humans. We’re here to delight and excite 24/7/365.