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In terms of national security, do you feel safer post 9/11?

How has your life changed or not changed since 9/11?

The Day That Changed America Forever

By David Brody
CBN News

CBNNews.com – NEW YORK - What if we could go back in time? What if we could return to life on September 10? If we could just hit the pause button and make September 11 go away, it would be so nice. But we can't.

That day, America changed forever. We now live in a world of color-coded security alerts and heightened airport security. Bottled water and baby formula are considered potential weapons.

But we're also living with something else, something that we can't escape: the fear of the unknown. When and where will terrorists hit next?

Perhaps fear has taken its greatest toll here in New York City’s financial district. At the New York Stock Exchange, security is tighter than ever. Terrorists have made it known that hitting the financial center of America is one of their goals.

The people that work on Wall Street might be able to claim victory in the stock market, but claiming victory over fear is a much harder proposition.

Just two blocks from Ground Zero, stock traders on Wall Street come to work every day with thoughts of 9/11 on their minds.

"It's tough coming here sometimes, especially as the summer grows closer to the end. It's a little rough," said Vince, a Wall Street trader.

Sal, another trader, said, "It hasn't gone away. Every day we come here and see the pit and see the trade center. We lost about 13 or 15 people who actually worked here on the floor."

Brian Drum owns a small business right on Wall Street. Some of his employees telecommute instead of coming down to Wall Street to work.

"They cannot come down here,” he said. “They have an absolute fear of Wall Street and this area because of what happened at the World Trade Center. In fact, one was under a doctor's care, and the doctor said either quit your job or work somewhere else."

The fear factor in New York is high. New York Magazine calls it the "largest psychological laboratory in modern history."

Surveys show that the majority of New Yorkers think they, or someone in their family, will be the victim of a terrorist attack, while 35 percent feel less safe than before 9/11 and 23 percent seriously considered relocating.

When you go deeper into the numbers, the mental aspect is a huge concern. Because of 9/11, 35 percent now suffer from anxiety, depression or mental illness. And 35 percent also think about 9/11 almost every day.

Linda Gormley, who witnessed the World Trade Center attack, said, "I was very, very depressed for a long time."

Gormley had a front row seat for 9/11. We spoke at an office overlooking Ground Zero. She saw the first plane crash right over her head. She ran for her life.

"We were told to run for our lives,” she said. “I ran. I could have won an Olympic medal that day."

Five years later, the fear is still there. She still jumps at loud noises, and watches every plane until it's safely away from her. She suffers from post-traumatic stress.

Her life has changed forever. It makes her want her youth back.

"I want to go back to being the innocent, caring, carefree person I was before that because I can't remember what it felt like to be like that," Gormley said. “It's not fair…that this is the kind of world children are growing up in. I look at my nephews and think this is so unfair to them."

For Linda and others suffering from fear, there's help here in New York. Counselors at LifeNet man the phones. LifeNet's a referral service for people who need mental counseling.

Before 9/11 they averaged 3,000 calls a day. After 9/11, it doubled to 6,000. Five years may have passed, but the increased calls keep coming.

Gillian Murphy is LifeNet's director. "When you hit the benchmark of five years, people try and re-evaluate the past five years and it's people now that are recognizing that things are not the same as they were,” Murphy said.

It's not just New Yorkers that are suffering. When the terrorists hit, it struck fear in Americans all over the country.

Murphy said, "It's a mistake to think that the reaction to these events is isolated to New York City alone, and thus I think everybody on that day suddenly realized that this is something that could impact them, and could impact them in the future."

Americans are well aware that terrorism is real and the society we live in today is far different. Ninety percent think the country will always have to live with the fear of terrorism, 67 percent say the attacks had a great emotional impact on them. A solid majority, 63 percent, say they're concerned about terrorist attacks.

Among the most fearful: women, those over 40, and married adults.

All across the country, airline travel has not only become more of a physical hassle, it's also become mentally draining. In a post 9/11 world, taking off your shoes and going through a metal detector is really no big deal compared to something that is far worse: conquering the fears and doubts of flying that were never there before September 11th.

Right after 9/11, 43 percent of adults were fearful of getting on an airplane. Five years later in 2006 that percentage is smaller: now, only 27 percent of adults are afraid.

Airline traveler Havelock Brewster said, "I get the impression that a lot of people feel fairly jumpy about the situation, and that anything could strike at any moment."

"I must admit each time that I do travel, it's in the back of my mind -- not just on the aircraft but walking through the corridor.” Just other things that I have not even been considered...It's really a mental war," said airline traveler Germaine Jones.

This mental war is not just taking its toll on people in the "friendly skies." Our behavior patterns are changing: 42 percent of us now stay closer to home, 24 percent handle mail differently, 15 percent avoid certain cities, and 15 percent now avoid crowded places.

Speaking of crowded places, the New York City subway system has always been a prime target for terrorists. Surveys show more than half of travelers fear an attack underground is inevitable.

Janet Lemonnier rides the subway every day. She works in New York, but her husband stays home in New Jersey. Since 9/11, they made a pact that they both wouldn't work in New York. Just in case something happened, their children would still have a parent nearby.

"We all have a feeling that the unthinkable can happen," Janet said, "The only reason I'm comfortable working in New York City is that I know he's by the house. Both of us are not crossing the river."

Americans are just beginning to learn what it's like to live with the constant underlying fear of terrorism. But Israelis have been living like this for decades. Getting on a bus or going to a pizza parlor or local mall could turn tragic in an instant.

Their advice for Americans is simple.

"Live your life. Don't let them [make you cower],” said one Israeli citizen. “Go where you usually go, head up. Don't let them make you get in your house and huddle in fear. Live your life with courage and bravery, saying in the name of God we will not submit to this terrorism."

For Linda Gormley and other New Yorkers, the fear is there, but there's also hope.

Gormley said, "When I get scared I say a prayer and ask God to help me, and I sometimes feel this warm hug feeling that comes around me, and it's kind of soothing."

Murphy says people have to make a decision not to let fear rule their lives.

"I think it's very important not to live in fear,” Murphy advised. “To live in fear would immobilize you. I think you would never be able to function day to day if you were constantly thinking of the potential of things to happen and the danger that exists in the world."

No one can bring back September 10, 2001. We now live in an uncertain post-9/11 world. The challenge for all Americans is coming to terms with it, and navigating the rough waters ahead.

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