Five years on

My journey in to work 5 years ago today, would have been similar, although not identical to that today. The train - the 6.36 into London Bridge - now often arrives early - and is a cleaner, quieter and more pleasant new train - the type which replaced the old style slam door trains a couple of years ago.

I sit listening to songs randomly selected on my iPod Nano - an invention of the last 12 months - the current selection being Coldplay's "Trouble". I find that I'm in 'trouble' as the woman in bright pink opposite asks to me to turn the volume down on my iPod (to be perfectly honest the volume was about half what it could have been, and nowhere near as "loud" as her bright cerise shoes, skirt and floral "cardy" - how would she (Old Ma Cerise) like it if I asked her to dress less "loudly" in future?).

Today the skies (plural?) are clear and blue and the world outside appears relatively calm.

London was also my destination 5 years ago although the building where I used to work on the 1st floor, has been replaced by a new 42 storey global headquarters.

How would I have felt 5 years ago watching the events of 9/11 unfold if I'd been sat on the 35th floor (as I will be today) of a building which to some will be totally representative of all that they believe is wrong about western capitalist states? The answer is clear, I would have felt very different. Whilst the events were horrific they were still far enough away for me not to feel personally threatened, especially on the 1st floor of an 8 storey building in the middle of London.

The realisation that what initially appeared to be a tragic accident, was in fact a horrific terrorist attack, only dawned when the second aircraft came into view close to the second of the Twin Towers.

Has the world changed for the better in the last 5 years? On a personal level, most definitely. There has been much success and happiness within the family (albeit that this has been tinged with sadness at the "passing" of some along the way).

But, on a Global level, the world is possibly much worse than it was. We remain less understanding, less forgiving, less accepting of others than we should be. A death in Baghdad, Kabul or Darfur, isn't "felt" in the same way as it is if it happens on the streets of Britain or America. The "Trouble" remains and like in the "spider's web" in the song, we remain "caught in the middle"!