To Remember

Yesterday marked the 12th anniversary of 9/11 and as most mornings go for me, I spend them in oblivion as to the actual day of the month.  As the morning progressed, it wasn't until I got into my van to drive to work and turned on the radio that I realized it was the anniversary of that fateful day when the world was forever changed.   At first, when I heard my usual radio morning show (Chaz and AJ on 99.1 WPLR) dedicate their entire show to remembering 9/11 and the events that transpired, I felt that I didn't want to remember, that I didn't want to have the memories of that day come flooding back.   Yet, as the morning progressed and I moved from my van to work and pulled up their show in my phone, I felt that it was very important to remember, to have that moment of silence, and to hear the tales of bravery and heroism from those that were there.  For our generation, there has not been another event that has captivated the nation and the world in such a way or changed the way we live to such a great extent.  For better or worse, we have become a nation that now watches our backs, looks twice at anything suspicious, and relies on terrorism as a sole reason to fight anyone and anything that moves.  Yet, despite all that, there was a time right after 9/11 when we were a nation united, a nation where you could drive down the street and see an American flag hanging from a plethora of houses.   There was a camaraderie amongst people that has not been seen to such a large extent since that period following that day.  Time passes, many people forget, and it seems even most news outlets forget what happened.  Yes, its been 12 years, but living in the NY region, you would think that the anniversary of 9/11 would get a little more attention than it did.  Yesterday, there was not a single mention of the anniversary on the NYTimes home page online.  There were reports that very few radio shows were even mentioning the day and its significance.  And just last year, to bring it back, a TV news show decided to run an interview with the idiotic Kardashians over the moment of silence.   Does the anniversary of 9/11 mean anything to people anymore?  I know to many in this region, it does.  Hearing the voices of survivors yesterday on the radio and the emotion that filled their voices, you would think it had only been a few years, not 12.   I grew up just a stones throw away from NY and there were many families in my community that lost loved ones.   Perhaps most inspiring were the stories of the firefighters who selflessly ran into those buildings, trudging up hundreds of steps, to never make the return trip down.  9/11, for the tragedy that it was, was also a wake up call to me and thousands of others.  It brought to the forefront how fragile life really is and how we can never take it for granted.  It showed the world that while we may bicker back and forth in our normal daily routines, when push comes to shove, it doesn't matter what country you hail from, we are all Americans.   It sometimes makes me sad to think that it takes a tragedy of that magnitude to unite people under one flag.   Let us make a commitment then, to bring back that sense of community, that notion that if you live in this country, you are an American, nothing more, nothing less.   Our country has had its ups and downs, and some would say we are in a trough right now, yet despite all that, we still have the greatest freedoms of any country on earth and I would never want to trade that for anything.  Is there work to be done to increase those freedoms?  Yes, but no where else can you say what's on your mind without fear of someone locking you up.  You can wear what you want, do what you want, and as long as you don't harm anyone in the process, its all OK.  So a day after 9/11, yes I know, a little late for this, but let me just say that I am damn proud to be an American and hope that everyone else living in this country feels the same way.  For my part, I am going to do my best to put out our American flag for the entire next year, an act which I have fallen short on of late, but one that I feel is incredibly important.  To America, to the lives lost on 9/11, and to all those who sacrifice themselves every day in the name of others, I pay tribute and salute you.