11 September 2001

So, there was this one time that we had a big virtual classroom pilot at work. I arrived early in the day to get things set up and to double check we had everything we needed. As the pilot start time approached, one of my colleagues gasped, “Oh my goodness! A plane just flew into the World Trade Center!” I admit that I was a bit annoyed and said, “Well, that doesn’t surprise me. They are after all extremely big buildings and someone sooner or later is bound to hit one of them. Let’s get back to work.” I went back to my desk and tried to focus on the upcoming big event that would set the tone for many such sessions in the future.

Just a few minutes later, my colleague screamed, “A second plane just flew into the other tower.” Suddenly I knew that this was no accident, that something significant was unfolding on the East coast.

As the days and weeks crawled on and we yearned for more accurate information, one thing became clear to me: what matters most. The people in the planes, the persons in the buildings, the loved ones trying to locate others had one thing and only one thing on their minds: they wanted to locate and visit with a loved one. In all the conversations of which I am aware, not one sounded like this:

“Oh, hi, Victor, Doug here. Well, someone has hijacked the plane and well, we’re gonna crash so let me give you the budget numbers I’ve been working on the last few hours. It's gonna be tight and the sales guys are going to have to step it and pull their weight. And, oh yeah, will you make sure to make that adjustment to the shipping contract? I put them in my middle drawer in the file marked 'URGENT.' We need to make sure it’s done right after all.”

Instead, again to the best of my knowledge, EVERY conversation included sentiments of love for each other, requests to pass along well wishes to others who couldn’t be reached, final words of comfort and hope for the little ones who may not understand. Every conversation was about the relationship. No conversation was about the task, it was all about the relationship.

Work is important, don’t get me wrong. Yet it’s the relationship we have with those around us that in the end is far more important, and if developed and nurtured properly, will endure any fiery tower or tragic situation.

We eventually got around to the big virtual classroom pilot, admittedly a few days later, and it went okay. But its importance always seemed to pale in comparison to that other 'big event' on that fateful 11 Sept. 2001.