I don't think I was sleeping through an 8 o'clock class when my phone woke me that September morning 19 years ago. It was my mother calling to tell me "America is at war!" She was working at the bank job she has had since just a couple of years before that day, and was calling to see if I had heard or seen any of what was beginning to transpire in New York. I immediately ran down the stairs to the television in my apartment, and even though I was still only in my underwear, I sat captivated by the scenes that were unfolding before my eyes.
America had indeed been attacked. Two planes had hit the Twin Towers in NYC and a third had just hit the Pentagon in DC. Later a fourth would crash in a field in Pennsylvania, and all in all over 3,000 would die due to the attacks thrust upon on country by terrorists who had long despised the very ideals and principles that America was founded on.
That is what makes what we are witnessing in our cities and towns today so painful. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11 there was talk of systemic racism. There was no narrative about "white privilege." I'm sure by now the studies have been done, but there was no breakdown on who the attack had negatively impacted more; black, brown, white, red, or purple people. All Americans had been hurt. I was hurt, angry, scared, and afraid and I hadn't even known a single person who died in those attacks. I hurt because my country was hurting. War was inevitable. More people would die. Would I be drafted? Should I enlist? What was my duty to my country in this great time of need? Everyone was asking these types of questions, because what they cared about was not what gender, race, or income level this attack hurt the most, what they cared about was that it had affected all of us because all of us were/are Americans in this country.
This is what has been lost in the 19 years since that infamous day. We've forgotten what unity looks like. We've forgotten what patriotism looks like. We've forgotten what leadership looks like. What putting country above political opportunism looks like. What selfless sacrifice looks like. The very men and women that were most hailed for their heroism on that day are now castigated by society. The ones who take up the honor of serving and protecting are now seen as the enemy. Regardless of one's position on police reform, in the aftermath of 9/11 it was only about support and care for our First Responders, because we saw firsthand the danger that they were willing to face at any time on that day.
From that day on we said "We will Never Forget." But 19 years later, that's exactly what we've done. We've forgotten that peace and unity have to be fought for every day for it to truly exist. We've forgotten the importance of self-sacrifice when it comes to actual mutual benefit. Now more than ever we are not a people that "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." This has led many to either become even more locked in to their ideology or to become unengaged all together, because "what's the point?" Even Christians have adopted the idea of "us v. them", and with the creation of social media it's become even more evident that we don't seek to unify ourselves with others around a common goal, but we seek to own others with constant argumentation, witty quips, insulting memes, or mocking satirical articles. I wonder what happens when a society can no longer be satirized because even the unimaginable has become reality? Yet I digress...
Today, I encourage you to lift up others in prayer. Pray for those who oppose you. Pray for those with whom you disagree. Pray for those continuing to suffer from the losses that occurred on September 11, 2001 or the aftermath of the wars and conflicts that came from this attack. Pray for our leaders on both sides of the aisle. Pray for peace, unity, and a common morality that would unite us once again. Pray that we would "Never Forget" and what that really means as we live everyday with knowledge that this day could indeed be my last on this earth. Finally, pray for forgiveness for sins long unconfessed and for healing among relationships broken or destroyed because of hateful words, bitterness, anger, envy, or jealousy. May God bless you and our country, and may He give us peace.
