Men and women flooded recruiting stations in droves in response to events of that day. We watched on live television as firefighters rushed into clouds of dust and collapsing buildings in attempts to rescue strangers. EMTs littered our screens with torn sleeves and filthy faces. We saw these heroes carrying victims from the rubble. We viewed police officers rocking complete strangers while they cried hysterically. We witnessed them passing around photos given in desperation from the wallets of onlookers looking for those lost in the crowd and rubble. For the longest period of time, at least in my lifetime, nobody worried about race, class or gender. Political party affiliations were blurred. For a period of time we were one people. Our humanistic sense of love trumped the desperation of fear.
In a time when worldly circumstances are eerily similar, and the essence of “peacetime,” is far fetched, it is easy to succumb to fear and defeat. Thirteen years later, I still believe that we can be those same people who rose from rubble. I don’t think any act of a major political party will “fix” our broken state, but I do believe that we live amongst some of the most best people in the world. We call these people teachers, mothers, fathers, friends, warriors, and even strangers. There is still good in our world. The one percent we find ourselves amongst is evidence of this.
On this day let us make a commitment to try a little harder to be a little better. Let us be conscious of our fellow brothers and sisters. Let us think twice before we ridicule, or aimlessly seek to lessen others. Let us wrap our arms around our loved ones and show them our love. We belong to a noble heritage; let us continually help our neighbors. Most of all, let us be a people worth fighting for, a generation worth saving and population worth emulating. May we always remember and never forget not only the lives lost thirteen years ago but also the unsung heroic acts of bravery, love and efforts to defend.
