United 93

Well, it's been 5 years since September 11. I don't think it's hyperbole to say that this was the biggest event in our lifetime. Yesterday, I saw the DVD called United 93 and I found it to be profoundly moving and fascinating. It's not an entertainment, really, more like a fairly realistic recreation of the events as they occurred, without any significant commentary, explanation or sentiment. As such, I highly recommend this movie to those who can watch it. The last several minutes are gut-wrenching.

1 thing that struck me was the portrayal of the hijackers. There is no debate that what they did was horrible. But were they evil people? I would say not really. I suppose it is a matter of definition, but in my view, an evil person is someone who does something wrong and knows it (and I mean something horribly wrong which I realize is somewhat vague). It seems to me that these men believed that what they were doing was right, and they probably believed it more than almost anyone believes in anything. After all, how many people out there believe in anything enough to die for it?? Therefore, I would call them 'misguided', instead...