As the memorials rang in today on the 13th anniversary of the dark day now known as 9-11, you often heard, "We will never forget."
We already have. I hear your protests. What of the somber memorials, the ringing of bells, the names being read? Yes, those are nice, and of course, we are not soon going to forget what happened that day and memorials will go on, but we have already forgotten the greatest lesson that day gave us. Fellowship. I remember being at work and glancing online briefly to see the shocking news. I remember the eerily empty skies. I remember the sense of loss. What I recall mostly though was how we as Americans came together following the tragedy. It didn't matter if you were directly impacted or what color your skin was or which political party you belonged to. It just mattered that you were fellow Americans sharing a tragic moment and coming together, showing each other your better angels. Here we are, not even twenty years out from the tragedy, and we have already left all of that behind. We are a bitterly divided people who seem to care more about our political party gaining a majority than about how we get to that result or even if that's what's best for our country. Rather than openly debate issues, we resort to curse words and name-calling to any that oppose our beliefs. We've lost sight that the people we are so busy berating are our brothers and sisters, our fellow Americans. When the towers fell, the Pentagon fell under attack and a plane was brought down by ordinary heroes, I watched as President George W. Bush had to address our nation. Despite the fact that I didn't vote for him and had little to agree with him on politically, I felt for him that day, as another American, another human facing an unimaginable horror. By all means, we should debate each other and engage in protests to make our point known, but why must we resort to pettiness to do so? Before we point too many fingers at our elected officials, we should take a long look in the mirror. Afterall, we elected them and they reflect the will of the American people. We should all strive to do a little better in order to truly honor the memory of those who lost their lives that day and remember that we are all Americans. Of course, we should also take a moment to reflect that many who lost their lives were not American, lending an international component to our sense of fellowship.
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