Where Were You...Where Are You Now?

Nineteen years is a lifetime to the recently graduated high school class of 2020. And while many older adults like myself see that nineteen years is a significant amount of time, it is not life-altering in most cases. But in the case of this nearly two-decade span, it has been life-altering for our entire country, if not the entire world. But sadly, we have not grown, evolved, or changed for the better.

Most of us have only a few days from decades ago that we can recall as clearly as if we just lived them. The day you were married, your children's birth or the loss of a loved one are the most common images that are burned into your memory forever. But when I ask, "Where were you on September 11th?" You immediately know the answer. I don't even need to include the year. Every American knows where they were standing the moment they heard the news… and you knew that life would never be the same again.

In just a matter of hours, our country was robbed of nearly 3,000 souls. And of those, over 400 were first responders who were simply doing their jobs to protect our country's citizens. Sadly, many, many more would perish in the years to come as a result of their heroic efforts on that fateful day. On that day, our nation became one massive family. We came together to console those who were mourning and to assist those in need. While an outside force of evil was attempting to destroy the United States, we came together to truly stand as one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Each year on this date, we solemnly remember all those who lost their lives on that day. And we honor those who did their duty to protect the rest of our country. It is the least that we can do to keep their memory alive and remember our great nation's spirit that prevailed on that day and in the months that followed.

Now fast forward some 6,900 plus days, nineteen years, and look at what we have become. We are far past a house divided. We have somehow forgotten all of the lessons that were learned on that September 11th. We have become the very thing that attacked us and united us all in a battle against evil. Only now, we are destroying our great nation from within, and it has to stop.

Where did we lose our sense of unity, right and wrong, and compassion for our fellow Americans? Why do we choose to focus on our differences rather than our similarities? When did we decide to abandon our allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands?

The United States survived an attack on your soil on this very day some nineteen years ago. We pulled together and refused to allow an outside force to destroy what our forefathers built, what previous generations fought and died to protect. Yet here we are again, facing the destruction of our nation. But this time, it is by our own hand.

However, it is not too late. We still have the power to heal our nation. But it can only happen when we choose to put aside our anger. We must begin to work together to once again become one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And it all starts with small acts of kindness, understanding, compassion, and the common courtesy and decency that has become viewed as cliché. Our nation is crumbling around us, but each of us has the power and responsibility to begin to rebuild a strong foundation for future generations.