This week saw the nineteenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the United States. A friend re-posted a meme that caught my attention: “The best way to honor 9-11 is to be who we were on 9-12.” The implication being that on September 12, 2001, people rallied together as Americans. Lamar Alexander said it well, “[September 11] unified us as a country and showed our charitable instincts and reminded us of what we stood for and stand for.”
Responding to the friend’s post, I commented that I am not so sure that, were another event like September 11 to happen again, Americans would come together in the same way. I say that because we are in the midst of just such an event: a pandemic that has already killed more than 60 times as many Americans as the September 11 terrorist attacks and has had several individual days with death counts nearly as high as that fateful one in 2001. And I do not see a country united or rallying together.
There are undoubtedly many reasons for the increased partisan divide and the seeming inability to move from defining ourselves by what divides us, rather than embracing what we have in common. Twenty-four hour cable TV in which “news” is more “infotainment” than anything else. Social media which disconnects us, feeds our biases and makes it all too easy to demonize people in a way we would never do face-to-face. And there are many people in positions of power who benefit from creating chaos and stirring the pot, rather than calming the tensions and bringing people together.
The responsibility lies in many places: people in government, the media, and religious and civic organizations all need to demonstrate leadership and lower the temperature of our discourse. The accountability, though, lies with each of us to stop fanning the flames and to stop taking the bait. Instead, let’s work constructively to truly put America first by asking what we can do to help our neighbors, our community, and our country.
One of the biggest examples of this, when viewed from my perspective sitting outside the country, is the fight over mask-wearing and social distancing. People carry on as if they were being locked up and the key was being thrown away, when being asked to wear a lightweight mask and to remain a few extra feet apart. These are by any objective measure, small sacrifices to make to protect the health of the nation and enable the United States’ economy to reopen and recover as quickly as possible.
There is another quote that comes out of September 11 that captures this. It comes from Sandy Dahl, the wife of the captain of United Flight 93, Jason Dahl, which crashed in Pennsylvania when passengers attempted to overpower the hijackers. She said, “If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.”
These days, it seems that hatred and venom are our go-to responses. Perhaps we could truly honor the heroes and victims of the September 11 attacks by practicing patience, empathy, love, and compassion a bit more. And being willing to make small individual sacrifices for the greater good.
christao408 
Amen. Hate is a poison that this country needs to stop drinking.
The comparison to sugary drinks or cigarettes is apt: the purveyors of these goods know it isn’t good for us but have a vested interest in getting us hooked. Same for the purveyors of hate.
Amen. Such wisdom and peace in the words you have written. Love.
Thank you
Well written Chris, this should be in the editorial pages of any newspaper.
It would just spark a lot of hateful responses. =D
Pingback: America first, is it? — christao408 – Nocturnal Twins
This > ” … willing to make small individual sacrifices for the greater good.”
I agree with you, Chris — well written, sane, thoughtful. What one person cannot sacrifice on a small scale will lead to the downfall, not just of your country, but potentially humankind.
I have family in the US I will not see for sometime. The border of most countries , including Canada where I live remains closed to Americans. The dissenters who cite “freedom of rights” as a reason not to wear masks have turned the US into the world’s pariah. A country with so many good people suffer for these selfish ones.
I’ve tried to offer some comfort to my American friends, and I’m sorry for this difficult time in your country’s history. Canadians apologize a lot, it’s true! I wish you were united, but as the old saying goes, “The fish rots from the head.”
Hoping for better days,
eden
Thanks Eden. Fifty years from now, it will be interesting to see what the history books say about this period. I can only hope it has positive things to say.
Right on, Chris! Exactly right! Thank you for writing this and sharing it. I hope somehow a lot of people can read your words and feel the emotions in them.
(((HUGS))) 🙂
PS…I came by via Matt’s WP blog.
Thanks for visiting and the comment. Interestingly, when I shared it on FB, very few reads. Not inflammatory enough!
Well, please keep writing and sharing your wisdom…your beautiful heart definitely comes through. 🙂
I’m so glad Matt shared your post with us. 🙂
I struggle with how the people of the world can be more empathetic when people hold such strong strong beliefs whatever side of the political spectrum you are on. I watch the news on a daily basis and I see the divide getting even wider and political leaders rather than spending the time trying to bring people together further using their time in office to make the divide even wider… I’m usually a half glass full type of person but the world is truly depressing at this moment in time.
I suspect that the world isn’t in as bad a place as the media makes it sound. When I interact with individuals, most of them are quite thoughtful and decent. There are a minority who are complete nut jobs, but what can you do?
Thanks, Chris. To all who read this and care, take the time to be kind to those you encounter, respectful of opinions that you disagree with and patient with the holders of those opinions. Look for what you have in common with others, what values you share, rather than concentrating on differences. I think, generally, we all want basically the same things from life: adequate food on our tables, clothing on our backs, shelter to keep us warm/cool, and work that provides resources enough for these things.
I think that everyone wants those things but not everyone seems to agree that everyone else has a right to those things, too.