Tuesday morning I woke up to the news that two of America's most influential cities had been attacked by terrorists. By 10 o'clock Tuesday morning both World Trade Center towers had crumbled under their own weight. By Tuesday afternoon I knew that four hijacked planes full of American citizens had been the cause of the destruction. Wednesday morning rescue workers were trying to salvage what lives they could from the wreckage. Wednesday afternoon Saint Mary's decided that its soccer team would play a game on Thursday.

That seems like quite a decision to make in the wake of a national tragedy. You could ask how anyone could play sports in the wake of such destruction. The Big East has cancelled all of its events for the weekend and even Major League Baseball stopped playing. The question of how anyone could move on like that looms large in the minds of many.

There is an answer.

Because you have to.

There were a lot of questions floating around on Wednesday night after the news that Saint Mary's would play came to light. And the only response is to say that life must go on. It is true that tragedy has struck the nation and any game at all seems trivial in its wake. But what happens if the whole nation stops forever?

The answer — the terrorists win.

Thursday's soccer game began with the national anthem, a reflection and several minutes of silence to remember those who have suffered and still suffer under the weight of this disaster. And then the game began and the women on both teams sent a message to the spectators, to the nation and to the world.

This tragedy, immense as it is, cannot kill the American spirit. Life in this country will go on. Although they may have destroyed part of our landscape, no terrorists will ever destroy our history, our past-times or our will to go on, to live.

The women who played today and those who went to watch them offered a prayer to those who died telling them they did not suffer so that a country could be crushed forever. This country will not only remember them in its sadness and in its moments of silence, but this country will remember them in its passion to play and its passion to win. We will not go quietly about the business of falling under the weight of our fears. We will go on with our lives and live well in the freedom so many have worked so hard to secure.

Canceling Division I events and professional events is a matter of security and a matter of respect. The media circus that often surrounds Notre Dame football games and playoff races in baseball could take away from the solemn feelings still covering the country.

But Division III soccer doesn't take away from the solemn sense of the country. It doesn't attract the media and it truly offers, in its own way, a promise to go on.

The terrorists responsible for the explosions on Tuesday were looking to scare the American people. And we are scared, but we won't let that fear destroy us.

This country will go on, and this country is already going on. Destruction may have caused us to pause but it will never cause us to stop. We will live and we will live in the way we always have, with passion, in freedom, and with eternal gratefulness for all that we have.

The views of this column are those of the author and are not necessarily those of The Obsever. Contact Katie McVoy at mcvo@5695@saintmarys.edu.

The opinions of this column are those of the author and are not necessarily those of The Observer. Contact Katie McVoy at mcvo5695@saintmarys.edu.

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