The day was Sept. 11, 2001.
Some of us still had the covers over our heads, while others thought the video footage of the Twin Towers falling were from a movie. Some of us were invited to share our feelings in class, while others only remember the stream of tears down our teachers’ faces.
Today is a day to remember the lives that were lost on 9/11, but it is also a time to re-evaluate our values and how we react to tragedies as Americans.
It isn’t difficult to sympathize with those who resist talking about or thinking about 9/11. Coverage of the tragedy occupied news stations and media outlets for what seemed like months at a time. We were so young and we just wanted to forget how such a travesty occurred on American soil. Every year on the 11th of September, it’s as if the events are repeated as news stations replay video footage of the Twin Towers crumbling and the Pentagon on fire. The events on 9/11 prompted increased military presence overseas, and yet they haven’t turned us into better Americans. They have only changed how we react on the 11th of September.
It is a day even the most cynical of Americans become flag-waving citizens, eager to praise anything red, white and blue. And yet citizens remain uncompromisingly partisan during the rest of the year, while others abstain from civil duties, like voting.
9/11 remains a big deal for young Americans. For us, it is unique from former tragedies in our country’s history. While the Vietnam War defined an entire generation of Americans and both World Wars changed the way we understood modern warfare, we have no memory, no instant recollection of how those events affected our lives or changed the way we think.
9/11 is different. It is our generation’s Pearl Harbor. Not only is it unique to our generation, but it is the only other instance in modern American history in which U.S. soil was targeted, making it unique to other Americans as well. We assume patriotism on this day in order to fully realize how unusual the events were.
But how long will it be until we stop reliving that day?
It’s our country’s mantra when it comes understanding tragedy. It is a framework through which we understand national tragedy and for many of us, it is the only example of American reaction to tragedy we have.
It is important to never forget, but perhaps it is more important to remember the reasons for 9/11 and the reactions to 9/11. Perhaps they are more telling of our moral character as a country than the flags on our t-shirts and ball caps.
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