9/11 Ten Years Later. Never Forget, But Remember Our Principles

Ten years ago, horrible atrocities were committed against innocent children, women, and men at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and over Pennsylvania.  Nothing can ever make up for the physical and emotional pain and suffering that was experienced by the victims and their families.  Members of the fire, police and rescue crews went in to help despite the risks holding the lives of complete strangers in higher regard than their own.  Many of them sacrificed their lives and we should have nothing but respect for their actions.  Despite all this, some goodness did come out of the atrocities as many people helped complete strangers in times of need.  The lives of those who died and the lives of their families have forever changed and we should never forget what happened.  Additionally, the lives of our military servicewomen and servicemen  as well as hundreds of thousands of innocent people who died in Afghanistan and Iraq should not be forgotten.  Most importantly though, we should remember how the world has changed and how we shouldn’t let feelings from 9/11 dominate our innate goodness and behavior towards others.

Here is a blog post from five years ago that references an email I sent out right after September 11^th.  It focused more on the subsequent victims who were also innocent.  It's an unfortunate phenomena that many minority groups face.  If you're a (relatively) small group, the actions of a few in your group can easily represent the whole minority community in the eyes of the majority.   From these events, the reputation of a whole religion and its members were unjustifiably spoiled.  I always say that 99.999…% of Muslims are not terrorists.  We have no right to judge an individual based on the actions of others who happen to share some religious beliefs.

These events have sometimes led to increased understanding for those who are open minded but often, 9/11 makes life harder for people even though it shouldn’t.  My life has personally been affected.  I sometimes feel a vibe from others that I didn’t feel before 9/11.  Being brown is enough for some people to dismiss me as “one of them.”  Much of the American public thinks it’s OK to take away the civil liberties of people who look a certain way or have a certain faith.  I’m not saying that we shouldn’t remain vigilant to prevent future terrorist attacks.  But our officials have to be smart about how we go about monitoring and investigating for national security, whether it’s the CIA or the airport security personnel.

 With the Patriot Act, basic rights were sacrificed in the name of fear.  Use of hatred as a political lever is wrong and un-American but it happened.  Our country was founded on religious freedom and our strength comes from diversity.  Unfortunately, with freedom comes risk.  Every time we take away freedoms, the terrorists have scored more points towards winning.  Every time we judge based on religion or skin color, the terrorists have scored more points.  Let’s not fall for this trap.  Let’s allow freedom and respect win out over fear and loathing.  The better we understand those from other cultures, the more those other cultures will respect us and like us.

God bless the world.  We are all God’s children and we should be hopeful that we can all work towards getting along more peacefully.  Let’s never forget 9/11, but let’s always remember how it has changed the world.  With conscious effort we can win out over the hatred that led to the despicable events of that day ten years ago.

+ Atul

 

Comments

[Ms. Benji Whitt]

I am currently taking a class called Homeland Security and Terrorism. One of the assignments was to watch one of 4 movies: 9/11 Fahrenheit, 9/11, United 93, or World Trade Center, and give a 2 1/2 page summary that details the characters point of views. I watched World Trade Center, starring Nicolas Cage. It was like I was right in there with them as they were trapped some 20ft under the rubble. They had to literally pull together to keep each other alive. My heart sank as I watched because this was a true story. It really touched me. I have since rented United 93. I will be watching that one too, even though I have completed the assignment.

[Ms. Benji Whitt]

I must also add to what I've posted above. I really do have compassion for the people that lost their lives because of this terrible act. This whole act was indeed committed because of hatred, and people suffered because of it. I think this may also be another one of the reasons why I felt so overwhelmed as I watched the movie, "World Trade Center". These were acts of violence and terrorism, and people gave their lives to save the innocent.

[Jennifer Stevens]

Thank you for sharing. Good comments. God bless.

Leviticus 19:34 states "But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God".

[UH2L]

Benji,

Thanks for the comment. Yes, the events were horrible on many levels and they impacted us Americans more than anybody else. My main point was to not be swayed in our principles of freedom by the acts of a few.

Jennifer,

Thank you for the quote. I think you're trying to say that we must treat everybody the same because we are also different than others?

Atul

[Hannah S]

The loss that we incurred that day as a nation will never be forgotten. The men and women who sacrificed their lives are truly heroes, in every sense of the word. I hope that future generations will be educated about the tragedy of that day, and the courage of so many Americans.

[KrystenB]

I think it is great you talked about this day. It is very important to remember this day. Those whose lives were lost will never be forgotten. It will always be a day that people will learn more about and remember.