Threadkiller I think that the point is that there are many people indeed who gave their life up. Ultimately the outcomes were already determined however at the that critical moment, they made a decision that in your eyes may not have been “giving” their lives, but substantially increased the risk of their death….if that suits you better.

I am sure that many on flight 93 did not want to participate in thwarting the attack because they had hope that this was a kidnapping and that the plane would indeed land. Even so there were those that more then likely knew they would perish, but were either to numb, or simply did not have it in them, essentially they gave up. They may have even realized more people would die as the plane was to be used as a battering ram but they were hopeless and helpless. However some did not and it is likely that those few saved lives. If you don’t want to call it giving a life then fine, call it raising the odds of death….or as you like to say, increasing the risk of death.

One of the specials on last night captured the bravery of two men in building one who worked for the port authority. Shortly after the impact they evacuated their own floors, then worked upward and evacuated other floors. The wife of one of them worked in the building as well and she knew her husband would not leave the building until he had everyone out of there. The thought of self preservation did not even enter his mind. I find this sense of valor quite uncommon around mankind. Many people in building 1 stayed put in their work areas as they did not know what to do for whatever reasons. One of them interviewed even said that he was just ready to give up.

I will readily admit I am fascinated by people like these two port authority figures. I am 100% fascinated by the people on flight 93 who chose to fight back. I am fascinated by jews in the ghetto in poland who fought the nazis and by the underground railroad. I am also fascinated by soldiers who throw themselves on grenades to save fellow soldiers. I am fascinated by human spirit at its very best and no you don’t have to give up your life to display that spirit. However, to me, the point is that there is no regard for the consequences of their own lives at that moment. Inevitably I think about my family and kids a hell of alot more then I did before I had kids so I do not think I could take myself to that level. Would I help? Of course, would I have done what those port authority guys did? Probably not. I would have been saying holy crap this buildings gonna crumble I am getting the hell out of here. They did not. That fascinates me and chokes me up.

I have no fascination for martyrdom at all. Those people saving lives were not martyrs at all. They didn’t do what they did for any cause, or any religion, or anything else like that.