Still Standing
September 11, 2010 at 11:59pm
The one and only positive that could be drawn from the destruction that
was rained down on our nation on 09.11.2001 was the way that for one
brief moment, we as Americans stood as a unified nation, looking to lend
a helping hand or offer a shoulder to cry on for those who were most
affected by the tragedy. It would have been a far more beautiful
moment, if not for the tragedy and horror that stood as the backdrop for
our nation. While it was a terrible blow to our nation, and most
specifically to those who lost family members or friends, it
accomplished something that those who perpetrated that unspeakable act
could not have foreseen, it brought us together, regardless of race,
religion, or political orientation, we stood united. True, some of it
may have simply been an act (think political 'leaders'), but I refuse to
believe that average Americans were false in their sentiment. I had grown concerned moreso than ever that we were fulfilling Eddie Vedder's words of becoming a "nation of amnesiacs", and that 09.11.2001 was fading from our collective memories. Between a fanatical preacher threatening to burn copies of the Koran, and the group looking to build a mosque in the literal shadow of where the twin towers once stood, it seemed that we had lost our course, and we were well on our way to allowing ourselves to be divided over what in the grand scheme of things are fairly trivial matters, while not focusing on what should matter most: those who were murdered in that atrocious act, and our brave soldiers who spend every day protecting our freedom and preserving our safety here at home.
Then today came, and it seemed everywhere I turned, there was recollections of memories of that day, and well wishes for those who were lost, and those they left behind, and I will admit freely, I was heartened. Seeing signs in rememberance of that day, and the South Hadley fire department proudly, triumphantly hanging our flag, it said to me that we were still here, we are still one, even if we don't always agree, even if at times we may want to literally battle each other, we're still here. We took the best shot that those who sought to destroy us had to offer, and still, we are here; they attempted to alter our daily lives by instilling fear, and we are still here. We Still Stand.
Perhaps we are not of the same Oneness that we were in the weeks and months after that attack, but for the most part, the citizens of this country still want the same thing: the best life they can provide for their family and a safe place to live. The fact that we are able to have discourse and disagree and call each other names without fear of being imprisoned or simply disappearing from the known face of the planet is a cause for celebration. We are a great nation, a great civilization, perhaps the best and brightest this planet has ever known, and great nations are generally not taken out by an outside foe, but rather through failed internal policies. Let us hope and pray that we always choose the correct course to keep our nation great, and more importantly, let the day never come that we should ever forget those that were lost, and how all of our lives were inevitably changed.
