911 The Falling Man

On TV last night was a documentary entitled 911 The Falling Man. This was a documentary based on a photo which was published of a man who had apparently jumped off the World Trade Centre on September 11 when the two planes hit the towers. Apparently about 200 people had jumped though officially the New York coroner had claimed no one had jumped, they were pushed out by the blast of heat coming from the plane as it exploded inside the towers. I like millions of others saw this event unfolding live on television at the time, and still see it as the event which changed my life. It has been five years now since that terrible day and I am still moved emotionally when I see the footage of the planes exploding as they impacted with the buildings, the two towers collapsing, the devastation and misery of lives lost for no reason other than someone hating the Americans and all they stood for. The photo was apparently only ever published once because it caused such an uproar at the time. I wonder what you or I would have done given the same circumstances, a thousand feet up in the air with no way out and a terrible roaring furnace beneath us making its way rapidly towards the top. Are there lessons for the living? I don't want to hate anyone for what happened though this act of flying the two planes into the buildings was unforgivable as is any act which results in a death. It's just that there was so much death in this case and it was so public. Who was the falling man? They believe it was Jonathon Briley, the sound man from Windows On The World, the restaurant at the top of the tower.