The one about 9/11

The world is weird, our country is in a very precarious place, and with absolutely everything being political and divisive, reflecting on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 is almost refreshing. Despite the horror of that day, 9/11 represents the best of what it means to be an American. It was a day that we rose to meet the challenges we faced together, as one nation in shared grief and the hope of a better tomorrow. We donated blood by the pint, we held hands with strangers in church, we volunteered in clean up efforts, we donated money, we lent a shoulder to cry on, and we remembered that in spite of our differences, we were a country united. And for a while, no one cared about who you voted for in the last election, or whether or not you were vaccinated, or if you lived in a red or a blue state. I know the unity didn’t last forever because the media and politicians can hardly make money on unity, but I will always remember 9/11 and those days that followed as a time I was incredibly proud of my country. To me, it’s a stark reminder of the need for a little perspective for what we’ve been through and a little gratitude for how we came through it. It seems crazy now to believe we could ever be that united again, especially with so many out there with a vested interest in keeping us divided. The division I see now in the country, exacerbated by politicians, the media, and sadly by us on social media reflect a country divided by fear, politics, and desire to tear down rather than build up. A desire to trade freedom for a false sense of safety. A desire to cast off fellow Americans for having differing opinions. A desire to reduce those with whom we disagree to dumb, selfish, racist, socialist, or just plain evil. A desire to trash America for past faults without realizing America has been the greatest beacon of hope and freedom the world has ever known. A desire to signal virtue without actually affecting any real change. So now I look at the commemoration of 9/11 as a beacon of hope that all can be made right again if we can just remember that we are Americans first, not Republican or Democrats, not vaccinated or unvaccinated, not red or blue states. Perhaps it’s a naive hope, but the alternative is to give in and give up. We are going through many tragic things as a nation now and we are very divided. But as 9/11 showed us, wonderful things can be born out of tragedy, but only if we have the wisdom and perspective to harness what is good and the eternal gratitude that ensures we will remember it forever. If we can do that, those precious souls that died on 9/11 and our brave men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice after will not have given their lives in vain. God bless America now and always!