Tomorrow marks the eighth anniversary of Sept. 11 — a pivotal time when America truly became United.

All our internal disagreements faded away as we watched the horrific sight of planes flown into skyscrapers, people jumped from the top floors of flaming buildings, the same buildings that firemen ran into to rescue those left behind. We stopped, prayed, cried and hugged the ones we loved. We served each other.

Today, it is another pivotal time. Since January 2009, the message of “being a servant” has been emanating from the White House.

Unfortunately, this call to servanthood, illustrated by recent events, may lead to uniformity instead of unity.

Consider, for example, how celebrities have become servants — of the president, that is.

Recall Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore’s “I Pledge” YouTube video released before the Inauguration in January? It ends with a haunting vocal unison chant of “I pledge to be a servant to our president and to all mankind because together we can, together we are, and together we will be the change that we seek.”

The video underscores the message. In conclusion, the celebrities’ picture tiles minimize in size and increase in number until all sight of the individual pictures cannot be discerned. Out of the many pictures is created the one iconic picture of President Barack Obama. Do we all really exist just to serve one man?

CNN reports that Obama’s speech to schoolchildren on Tuesday was supposed to include specific follow-up activities. According to CNN, “An initial version of the plan recommended that students draft letters to themselves discussing ‘what they can do to help the president.’” From this alone, it looks like he is sincere in asking us to serve him.

After national negative feedback, the White House remarketed the address as encouraging students to achieve their goals.

Having read the speech, I commend the president for encouraging kids to finish school and press on even when it’s hard. However, it’s still a bit fishy, since the first “help the president” statement was never retracted.

Some say that Obama’s question for school children was a déjà-vu to previous presidents’ visits to schools and to John F. Kennedy’s national call for service. Check the record to see that JFK asked us what we can do for our country — not what we can do for him.

To top it off, consider the recent appointment of Van Jones as Green Jobs Czar to the president. Highlights from the Wall Street Journal reveal that in 1992, he became a “communist,” and in 2004, he signed a petition suggesting an investigation of the Bush administration for deliberately allowing the Sept. 11 attacks.

Because of vocalized concern, Jones has stepped down from his post. The words of Svetlana Kunin, a retired software developer and a Russian immigrant, published in Investor’s Business Daily, warn us that under communism, individual pursuits are condemned as evil — sameness prevails in pursuit of fairness and equality.

Let’s not give into this pressure for uniformity in America. Let’s remember 9/11 and how we were united.

Unity is not an adjective describing an all-encompassing clique or the act of being held together by service to one person.

Unity is a combination of expressed charity and humility despite our differences. By serving each other — not one person, we’ll be unified.

Reach Catherine at catherine.e.smith@asu.edu.