The morning of September 11, 2001 is etched in our collective memory as Americans. I had just woken up and had to get my 4-year old ready for school. I had returned from a consulting project in upstate New York 2 weeks ago and had the direct flight from JFK to Los Angeles multiple times. The images of airplanes flying into the twin towers were so surreal that it took us weeks to get our heads around this tragedy. As a nation we were in shock. We went through the emotions of grief, anger and denial. Did we go through acceptance? That is debatable.
Over the last 18 years, we have been embattled in multiple wars overseas. We punished those responsible for perpetrating this heinous attack on us. One would expect that after avenging the deaths of the victims we would feel some peace or find acceptance. But have we?
It seems that we are still at war but of a different kind. We are at war among ourselves. The divisiveness in our society hasn’t been this bad since perhaps the Civil Rights era. Some people are even predicting that we are on the verge of a Civil War! In the frenzy of war, we forgot why we were fighting, and for whom. We forgot about the regular Americans here at home. There are Americans here who need to be protected from drugs, homelessness, gun and gang violence, sexual harassment. We forgot about our youth who need jobs and affordable housing, so they don’t end up on the streets. We forgot about our veterans who we sent to fight our wars in the first place, only to come back broken, unable to integrate into society. These are the enemies and dangers we need to protect all Americans from.
The trauma that we experienced on that horrible day didn’t just last a few weeks or months. It has metastasized into a horrible cancer. When we think of the victims of 9/11, we often imagine them to be similar to ourselves. We think of them as our family or friends. The don’t appear in our thoughts as Democrats, Republicans, Black, White, Muslim, Christian. No! We revere them as our loved ones. Our family.
The victims of 9/11 were from all backgrounds. There were Republicans and Democrats among them. They were White, Black, Asian, Latino. They were Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Atheists. Their diversity doesn’t make this event any less or more tragic. What this does, however, is make our current divisiveness not only tragic but disappointing.
The harsh truth is that there is no military fighting the war raging here at home. Unlike overseas, this war is in every home, every place of worship, every workplace in America. It is raging within our souls. We are ripping ourselves apart from within. We are bleeding to death from the thousands of cuts that we have been experiencing for years. Who is coming to rescue us? Who is going to answer our call for help?
There is just a resounding silence.
This silence is telling us something. If we are willing to listen. We must save ourselves. There is no savior outside us. What would happen if instead of retreating into our bunkers labeled with our political parties, race, religion, or any other division; we walked out into the open and have the courage to hold each other’s hand and get to care about each other as fellow Americans? Like we did right after the 9/11 tragedy. We all came together as one nation. What would happen if we rejected any politician, media personality or leader who tries to divide us from within? What would happen if we recognized that these people are the real enemy and stood side by side with our neighbors no matter what?
We may finally start the healing process. We may finally find Acceptance.
We say, Never Forget the victims of 9/11. This statement is so much more than remembering them and mourning their loss. Here’s what it means to me –
Never Forget the victims of 9/11, who we are and what makes us special.
Never Forget that we are Americans First
Never Forget that our Diversity is our Biggest Strength
Never Forget that anybody who tries to Divide us is our Biggest Enemy
Never Forget to choose Love over Hate. Every single time
Never Forget…
Amazing read! I was pondering on these same issues today. Well said. Never forget!
We all have to do our part.
Sheila you have accurately captured the sentiments that most Americans feel and struggle with daily; but unfortunately somehow they choose to remain silent.
Courage asks us not to be silent in face of lies and injustices. Have the courage to do what is right even if it means moving towards something you don’t fully understsnd but morally feel compelled to call for action. On this important day may we never forget that underneath all our differences we all share the same heartbeat that aches and longs for unity, peace, strength, courage and love. May we have the courage to put aside our pride and arrogance in favor of choosing to love instead of hate each and everytime if we are going to heal as ” . . .One nation under God with liberty and justice for all.”
You are so right Sharmeen. It takes every day courage. Small acts of resilience by each and everyone of us. To say No to Hate and Yes to Love. That is the only way we will be able to stay as One Nation under God with Liberty and Justice for all. Thank you for your thoughts.
Thank you for sharing! 🙂 Interestingly, and as I was ready your piece, I kept thinking about that period of time after the attacks, where we were actually focused on the prize, putting aside our own insecurities and bigotries for a short period of time. How great that time was for the United States and our true allies who supported us so completely! How did we go from such a great place to how we are living and treating each other today. Just this morning, I was feeling exhausted, and not from a bad night’s sleep, but rather from the non-stop vindictive anger our elected leadership spew upon each other everyday and displayed for all of us to witness. Both sides continue to ramp it up, without any form of honest discourse displayed, and I am fatigued by it all. I hope an adult shows up soon, but as we push towards next year’s Presidential election, I am pretty sure the darkness will only continue to ramp up. It is sad really, but I know we are better than this, and we will simply have to muscle through this long enough for the pendulum to swing back towards decency and kindness. Let’s just pray it gets there some time within our lifetimes.
Mike, your frustration with our current situation reflects how so many regular Americans feel. The good news is that we have the power to make a difference. One person at a time. One interaction, one act of kindness at a time. We all need prayers for sure. And we all need to stand by each other in defiance of everything that we believe is Not a Reflection of our true values. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts. It means a lot!
By 2021, it has gotten worse. People in our country are hallucinating and believing just nonsensical stories, creating more disunity and un-repairable divisions. Let’s tone down this divisive attitude and focus on how we can protect ourselves, our families and communities.
We need to address and disperse the brewing hatred within our country before it turns into a full-fledged war. Please make acquaintances with people who don’t talk like you, look like you or think like you. Knowing someone different will enlighten you and them. Share your pain and joy. Share your values. A country is built around people with shared values and belief systems.
Rashna, I couldn’t agree more with you. Building communities means reaching out across the ‘divide’ and bringing down the barriers that have been erected in our nation to divide us – be it politics, race, gender, generational difference.. Thank you for this importance reminder.