It will soon be the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. There has not been one day since that I have not thought about the attacks. My apartment is blocks away from Ground Zero. When I heard the first plane flying low overhead, I ran to the window and saw it hit the North Tower.

Valour amid horror

Amid the horror, there were many stories of bravery and sacrifice. Rick Rescorla was the Vice President of Security for the investment bank Morgan Stanley. He had foreseen that terrorists might attack the World Trade Center, and he relentlessly drilled his co-workers on safety procedures, much to the annoyance of the top executives.

On that day, those executives were glad of the drills. As soon as the first tower was hit, Rescorla acted decisively. He led the safe evacuation of 2,700 employees, then went back in to look for stragglers. He was climbing the stairs when the South Tower collapsed. He was one of just 13 Morgan Stanley employees to lose their lives that day.

2,977 people died on September 11, but 25 years later many more have died from illnesses caused by the toxic smoke from the burning rubble—over 9,000, as of this writing. New York City police detective Joseph Zagroda worked on the pile and died from the poisons that filled his lungs. The Detective James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act honours his sacrifice.

Detective Zagroda’s daughter Tyler Ann was orphaned, as her mother died when she was just one year old. She was adopted by and raised by her paternal grandparents. As a high school and college student, she sacrificed part of her youth to become a full-time caregiver for her elderly grandparents. They both died this past year, leaving her without any immediate family members at age 23.

My brother, Jim, is a copy editor who worked on Wall Street. In the days and weeks after the attack, he walked to work through the choking stench of burning chemicals. Years later, he developed multiple myeloma, cancer of the bone marrow. He has survived through bone marrow and stem cell transplants.

The procedures that keep him alive were developed through clinical trials with volunteer patients, and in gratitude, Jim now takes part in trials himself so he can help to heal others. His doctor remarked to him that most people don’t want to participate in the medical trials because doing a bone marrow aspiration procedure hurts. It hurts a lot. “So what, it’s only for ten seconds,” Jim retorted. I think it might actually hurt a little longer than that, but it’s a sacrifice Jim is happy to make. As Epictetus wrote, “Difficulties are the things that show what men are.” Discourses, 24.1.

Practicing Stoic virtues

We know that Rick Rescorla was reading Stoic philosophy in the weeks before his death. As a mentor, I’ve introduced Tyler Ann to the Stoics, and Jim is very familiar with them. You don’t have to be a Stoic to practice Stoic virtues though. They have all pursued the Stoic value of “bringing the circles closer,” of caring about something greater than ourselves. Rick gave his life because he selflessly cared for his coworkers. Tyler Ann gave her support to the family that supported her. Jim is doing his somewhat painful part to advance medical research, something that may benefit all humanity.

The etymology of sacrifice is to make sacred, to perform a sacred rite. It originally described the practice of taking the life of an animal to honour the gods. We don’t do this any more, but I believe the practice of making modern sacrifices is still a spiritual practice.

Sacrifice, a path to building character

Sacrifice is not one of the canonical Stoic virtues, but sacrificing time, safety, or even your own life for a higher moral purpose flows naturally from practicing the virtues of wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance. Stoicism leads to acts of service for the greater good. A sacrifice is a path to building character, and will strengthen your commitment to the virtues of Stoicism. As St. Augustine, who was deeply influenced by Stoicism, wrote: “True sacrifices are acts of compassion to ourselves or others, done with God in mind.”

Karen Duffy is a producer, actress, and former MTV VJ. Her latest book on Stoicism. Wise Up (https://amzn.to/ 3PpLv5D) is published by Seal Press.

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