Regular Life, After September

Since plummeting last week in the aftermath of the terrorist attack, U.S. stock markets have recovered slightly. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has been rising steadily since Sept. 21, when it fell to just below 8,000, its lowest point in years.

This should have given the American economy cause for a relieved sigh, but it has not. The public as a whole has remained pessimistic about the nation’s economic outlook, and Americans have altered their consumer behavior in light of the terrorist attack. With confidence down drastically, companies are facing immense losses, and our country’s travel industries are failing. By reversing this trend, Americans can play a vital role in limiting the aftershocks of the Sept. 11 tragedy.

With tourism seemingly out of mind for most Americans, New York City theaters have been struggling to keep their productions from closing. Broadway shows are playing to a small fraction of the audiences that are normally in attendance. The casts of six musicals have already taken 25 percent pay cuts—the actors in the popular musical comedy “Kiss Me Kate” have agreed to a 50 percent cut—in the hopes that audiences will return and save the show from closing.

The fear caused by the hijackings has also devastated the airline industry and other businesses that depend on it. As consumers choose not to fly, planes are taking off nearly empty, and some air-shuttles carry fewer passengers than crew.

Hotels across the country have been left with empty rooms and major cuts in revenue. Per-night prices have dropped drastically in many hotels, yet reservations continue to be canceled as Americans choose to stay home in light of the recent events.

Locally, Boston cab drivers—who relied for their fares on trips to and from Logan Airport—are also suffering. The same number of cabs are fighting for a much smaller number of passengers, and cabbies are driving around Boston with vacant back seats.

Americans, however, should not sit pensively at home while their theaters, airlines, cabbies and hotels lose their business and close up shop. We have the power to keep these companies alive and to keep our country strong. The power, surprisingly, comes from the most simple action of all: living a normal life.

The terror that has struck our country does not have to cripple it. Americans must not be afraid of returning to the streets of New York, Boston and other cities throughout the nation. As we donate blood and contribute to relief efforts, we are also needed to fill the theaters, the airplanes, the taxi cabs and the hotel rooms. We are the fabric that holds the nation and its economy together, and we must not be frayed by fear.