On being patriotic: A 9/11 Reflection

Many who know me personally know that I particularly enjoy being sarcastic. However, there is one untouchable for me - and that is the tragic sequence of events that occurred on September 11, 2001. I was in college at the time, and I remember the feeling of helplessness, anger, and terror all wrapped into one experience.

Today, I have the uniquely American, and quintessentially patriotic experience of drafting this article while on a business flight from Atlanta, Georgia (ATL) to Boston, Massachusetts (BOS). Alone, this fact may seem mundane, but today I am traveling with a dear colleague who worked in lower Manhattan on that fateful date. Being at the airport for the first time on this anniversary was complex emotionally for her, but she did it. And, I couldn't be more proud of her. Patriotism comes in many forms.

“Even the smallest act of service, the simplest act of kindness, is a way to honor those we lost; a way to reclaim that spirit of unity that followed 9/11.” - Barak Obama

As the next weeks unfold, and southern Americans both continue and begin to pick up the pieces left after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, I hope we will see more of that unity. I won't compare the events as they are completely not equivocal. However, it's that spirit of oneness in America that I hope we can experience more.

Sixteen years ago, we didn't know what the world would look like, and for those currently experiencing turmoil from the weather, poverty, or social injustice or all of the above, just know that we, in America, always outperform together.