Twenty-one years have passed since what seemed like a mundane Tuesday morning exploded violently into the world-changing event known as 9/11.

With the destruction of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers that morning and Building 7 in the late afternoon, the daily life of Americans all at once darkened. Their feelings of invincibility were suddenly snuffed out.

Right after the cataclysmic event that took the lives of nearly 3,000 victims and devastated their families, Americans were dominated by the desire to avenge the crime they had witnessed either in person and on television. Fired up by 24/7 propaganda, they were gung-ho to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, where still more innocent lives would be lost.

Eventually that desire to retaliate faded and life normalized into what is now referred to as “the post-9/11 world,” in which the freedoms enjoyed in the pre-9/11 world are a thing of the past.

Over the years, official explanations for why the three towers came down have been propped up by politicians, bureaucrats, the military brass, defense contractors, and the controlled news media. Together, these “leaders” and their lackeys have waged an ongoing campaign to convince a trusting public that arguments challenging the official explanation of 9/11 are heretical, that the laws of physics and common sense are conspiracy theories, and that anyone who raises questions about why three steel-framed high-rises fell — when all evidence indicates they shouldn’t have — should be shunned and censored.

Early on, a large portion of the world moved on with their lives and accepted the storyline shaped by TV talking heads and their officially sanctioned guests. These “experts” informed us that jet fuel and fire were the obvious causes of the Twin Towers' collapse — and that flying debris led to the small fires that brought down Building 7.

But a few of us didn't buy those nonsensical, scientifically impossible claims. Over the years, building professionals and scientists began their own investigations of the evidence and arrived, both individually and collectively, at the irrefutable conclusion that all three towers had to have been brought down by explosives and incendiaries planted in the WTC towers days before 9/11.

But how would this evidence of controlled demolition, which has been gradually amassed by these truth-seeking architects, engineers, and scientists, ever be made known to the world?

That’s where your voices and ours come in. One by one, an increasing number of us bold and brave citizens have stepped up and found ways to share the controlled demolition evidence. For many years we have been known as members of the worldwide 9/11 Truth Movement. By courageously contradicting the false fuel-and-fire narrative, we are proving that a dose of skepticism, a bit of independent thought, and a fierce desire to find the facts and tell the truth can never be controlled, compromised, or corrupted.

Something keeps all of us going in this fight. For each one of us, the motivation is different. Most of us don’t stop to ponder the values, ethics, and ideals that propel our outspoken activism.

Some of us have never met another 9/11 Truth activist in person. Nonetheless, one thing connects us all: 9/11 is still meaningful to us — so meaningful that we will never quit talking about it until the fact that the three WTC towers were blown to smithereens goes mainstream.

Because those of us at Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth know that we work on behalf of you, the thousands of activists who stand in solidarity and keep this movement going, we decided over the summer to ask what motivates you to be a part of this cause. So we posed the question, “Why is 9/11 still important to you?”

The response we got, from almost 900 dedicated activists, was positively overwhelming. While it would be impossible to quote in this article all the thought-provoking, encouraging answers we received, we’ll spotlight a few. We hope the replies below remind everyone why what we’re each doing to refute the official lie of 9/11 is as consequential now as it was 21 years ago. Come to think of it, even more consequential.

***

We’ll start out with an inspiring note from Beki Halpin of Texas:

“9/11 matters because truth matters. 9/11 matters because justice matters. Until we know the truth, there can be no justice. The events of 9/11 call out to us to persevere in the search for truth so the thousands of innocent people and brave heroes who lost their lives that day may finally receive justice.”

Beki’s statement goes to the core of why so many people stand with the cause of 9/11 Truth. For days after the North and South towers came down, we were besieged by raw images of the people who perished—some of them tragically jumping to their deaths. Many images were of first responders who put their lives on the line to help others evacuate the buildings.

We all remember the sight of the U.S. President standing on the debris at Ground Zero, vowing that those who knocked the buildings down “would hear from all of us soon.” His message achieved the effect that hawkish members of the Administration and the media hoped for. For, in the aftermath of 9/11, seeking justice for the victims became more about dropping bombs on and raiding the resources of two Muslim nations — and less about rational inquiry and investigation.

When overwhelming evidence and observable facts are ignored, justice for the victims is cast aside, not honored. As AE911Truth supporter James Morgan put it, “911 still matters because the truth matters, the rule of law matters, and the way we as a country treat other countries and operate as a nation matters.”

That sentiment was even more simply articulated by Jerry Thrunk of Pennsylvania, who insisted: “We must solve this case and seek justice for the victims and their families.”

While 9/11 was of direct consequence to the people of the United States, its impact — and the U.S. government’s response to it — was felt all over the world. Many letters we received were from abroad.

For instance, Gara Spiegelhauer of Germany reminded us:

“A crime was committed. 3,000 people died immediately. Wars were fought. Millions died. Lands were devastated. And the perpetrators have not been brought to justice.”

To the north of us, Tsiporah Grignon of British Columbia, Canada, pointed out:

“The events of 9/11 were the pivotal events of the new millennium. It marked the beginning of deception on a grand scale followed by endless wars justified by more deception."

Considering that so many destructive deeds were set in motion by 9/11, the indifference to the obvious evidence of controlled demolition by those who are entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing the public’s well-being continues to astound our supporters 21 years later.

“It matters to me because everyone believed the lie and many gave their lives to help people that day,” wrote Edward Sandoval of California. He added:

“And the men who died in battle for a complete BS war angers me. People died [and other] people’s lives were greatly affected in some fashion so that a handful of individuals could become mega rich. It infuriates me to have our leadership turn a blind eye.”

“It's hard to trust government and media after you have been so badly abused and betrayed for years,” observed David Shipway of British Columbia, Canada.

“We were betrayed by our institutions!” held Ton Koedam of the Netherlands.  “Nothing is or can be the same anymore after that day.”

“Contentment in the face of dishonesty is an immoral position,” John Robinson of Texas proclaimed.

Up against such strong resistance to scientific evidence, 9/11 activists find themselves wondering why the authorities are so dismissive of the shocking forensic facts that have been discovered about the biggest mass murder in U.S. history. Actually, they may be wondering superficially, but deep down they know the reason all too well.

As Richard Tobin of the United Kingdom put it:

“An all-engulfing fire requires just a single well-placed spark to set the world alight. It’s not a massive conspiracy, it’s a systemic failure of centralised authority that a very few can manipulate the whole.  That’s why 9/11 is so important.”

The 9/11 Truth Movement has been striving to capture that spark and ignite a  flame of consternation, if not a bonfire of indignation! But sometimes the fire seems close to flickering out. That's because the vast majority of the world’s populace has decided to accept the establishment account of 9/11, apparently preferring the perceived comfort of an existence undisturbed by controversy.

“Perceived comfort.” That is hardly real comfort. For it is an existence barren of truth, devoid of justice, filled with falsehood and fear and deception, all of which only invite more strife, more disruption and destruction and death in the future.

As Al Dati told us, “You can’t move forward with a lie.”

Another supporter, Lico de Ridder of New Zealand, punctuated Dati's point with this thoughtful statement:

“As a dedicated ‘9/11 truth’ activist I will always be talking about this and challenging the a priori thought system that keeps people from seeing the 9/11 Myth for what it is. Without an understanding of arguably the most pivotal event of our lifetimes, the peace movement will always be undermined and we cannot hope to create the genuine change the world needs.”

So did Denise Snyder. She has noticed that ever since 9/11:

“We are different, our lives are different. We are victims. And until we understand and acknowledge what happened and hold the perpetrators accountable, we continue to live in a lawless society where the powerful can get away with murder, none of us are safe from it happening again, and we can’t begin to recover from the trauma and heal.”

We 9/11 Truth activists refuse to be intimidated by the self-pronounced “experts” who use their credentials to push the official story, which is filled with unproven, disprovable, ridiculous, and incorrect “facts” about how the three WTC towers were designed, how they fell, and who is to blame. We recognize this false information, no matter who is behind it. Relying on our own knowledge of basic laws of physics and our study of governments throughout history as well as our experience with today’s governments, we cannot — we will not — be silenced.

Take Patricia Greene of Massachusetts, who wrote:

“And so who am I to question within and alongside AE911Truth? I am a writer, a mother and grandmother now, a political activist for peace, a questioner, and an American who longs to be proud of my country. I am someone who loves this country and has always been devoted to exposing the deepest truth we must reach for. And I see what happened on September 11, 2001 as a major turning point where our country stepped off the true path. There had been other points like this my generation lived through, beginning with Vietnam. And those horrendously unfair and unwise paths our country took gave my generation good training for saying ’Never again!'“

As we collectively move forward with our essential work, many of us have found strength in standing side-by-side with the 3,500-plus architects and engineers and nearly 31,000 members of the general public who have thus far signed the AE911Truth petition calling for an independent investigation. We are armed and equipped with the requisite evidence and moral certainty needed to continue this fight for the foreseeable future.

Jeff Mix of Maryland speaks for us all:

“It’s important to me for many reasons, among them first and foremost is that truth matters. Reality and truth should both coexist and reign and rule in our everyday lives, not unreality which is generated and propped up by ongoing lies. There is such an overwhelming preponderance of truth revealed through and thanks to the due diligence of AE911Truth, that the opposite facade erected by the official narrative is glaringly obvious by comparison.”

So does Egmont Dostal:

“I am convinced that the educational work of 9/11 in the community of architects and engineers makes a significant contribution to this necessary catharsis, which is why it continues to be so important to me.”

The defenders of 9/11 Truth are known for being creative in their activism.  For instance, David Griffith of Australia informed us that he uses his musical abilities to spread 9/11 awareness:

“I write a song, years after the event, contribute when I’m able to the ongoing work of Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, keep educating myself and trusting that the truth will eventually be revealed, and justice be served.”

Expressing his ongoing enthusiasm for our work, Donald Williams of Wisconsin disclosed:

“When the opportunity arose for me to sign the petition of Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth, I didn't hesitate, believing it to be a means for arriving at the facts. I have supported the organization since that time whenever I could. Decades later my passion for the truth has not waned but intensified.”

So, here we have thousands of individuals from the world over, with different backgrounds, experiences, ideologies, and personal values . . . all united behind a cause that is rooted in science and all convinced that ordinary people like themselves can overcome extraordinary odds, no matter the obstacles and obstructions they face.

With your incredible assistance, AE911Truth has managed to reach millions of people around the world and burn an indelible imprint on their minds. Truly, tens of millions — if not hundreds of millions — now question the official story. Even if they haven’t yet added their name to our petition, they at least have doubts about what the powers-that-be say happened that day.

Granted, our work is far from finished. Yet because of the can-do spirit of our many allies, who consistently remind us of why our mission is so crucial, we find the strength and resolve to keep going.

Together, we will achieve justice for those who died and for the loved ones left behind.

Together, we will set an example of how nothing can stop the bulldozer of truth from unearthing the lies, especially when enough people wake up, see the truth clearly, and speak of it cogently.

Thank you to all of you who wrote to us and told us why 9/11 still matters. Let’s now use these sentiments to fuel our unyielding efforts to uncover what really happened that day.

A very special thank you to Tania Torres for organizing the nearly 900 responses AE911Truth received to the question, “Why is 9/11 still important to you?”