Friday is the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. If it’s not convenient for you to honor those killed on that day by traveling to the memorials and sites where people died, you can visit a memorial in Second Life.
The Second Life Memorial consists of four polished grey slabs arranged in a square surrounding a pool, with names of the victims on all four walls. Names are grouped by where people died, the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, American Airline flights 11 and 77, and United Airlines flights 93 and 175. In a hallway behind one corner of the memorial, photographs of the victims line two walls.
As you walk around, rain falls gently and thunder rumbles overhead.
It’s impossible not to be overwhelmed with feeling for the enormity of what happened on that day. Each one of these nearly 3,000 victims was a person, with a life, a family, friends, and a future that was snuffed out in a flash. Walking around the memorial, seeing name after name, drives home the loss that so many suffered, the potential of so many that will never be reached.
The memorial is owned by Second Life’s Silicon Island group, founded by avatar Liam Kanno, who in real life is O. Liam Wright, who according to an article in 3PointD.com was at Ground Zero during the attack.
Second Life members can teleport to the memorial at slurl.com/secondlife/dAlliez%20Land%20Headquarters/108/149/26.
You might also want to visit the Ground Zero Museum Workshop website, groundzeromuseumworkshop.com.