Ten years ago, 19 men tried to tell us we were wrong. They told us we had no right to express our opinion, no right to worship the god of our choosing, no right to be gay, no right to include women in politics, schools, or businesses and no right to be free.
But those 19 men, led by the false ideals of Osama bin Laden, were wrong.
Ten years later, we remember. As students of a religious university, publishers of a paper that embodies a mission to protect the rights and opinions of our community, we know better.
On that day, not only were buildings leveled, but the very ideals that we, as Americans, live each day were threatened. Those reckless acts of terror not only targeted Freedom’s people but Freedom itself, along with all the values we are grateful for each and every day.
You remember where you were. Most of us were in grade school, and our day was just beginning. For us, it was just another Tuesday. But we know better now. Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, will forever be our day in infamy. On that day, we watched in unexplained horror as our way of life was uprooted and turned on its head.
How could we, then, possibly understand how our lives would change? We were not expected to know of al Qaida or bin Laden. How could we, then, possibly understand the deep hatred of our nation shared by a few in a far-off land? We know better now.
On that day, a sense of patriotism as unbridled as this country has seen since Pearl Harbor, swept across our nation. We mourned and we commemorated. Strangers held hands and prayed for those lost at church services. Old Glory was seen from porches, sides of barns and lapel pins.
Communities unified in the face of reckless anger to show the world that faith, hope and love will always prevail. The foundation of our buildings shook but the foundation of our nation was made only stronger.
This Sunday, we also reflect on how Sept. 11, 2001, changed the trajectory of the United States of America for our generation. It changed the way we view each other and our place in the international community. Our generation was not supposed to go to war, but it is our brothers, sisters, classmates and cousins who are fighting against terrorism. Our generation was supposed to, finally, break free of prejudices of one another, but 9/11 planted suspicions of Muslims and an unsettling distrust of the Islamic faith – all because of four hijacked airliners.
Watching war had made us immune, but following the terrorist attacks, our nation was ready to deliver retribution. This Sunday, we also remember the on-going aftermath of Sept. 11. Now, 10 years later, thousands of patriots – Americans, Muslims and Arabs – have died in Afghanistan and Iraq and trillions have been spent to avenge those who brought about these acts. Bin Laden is dead, but the war drags on. The exact legacy of 9/11 is yet to be written.
But we will never forget. We will never forget the horror of watching as the World Trade Center burned, as upper Manhattan was enveloped in dust after the Towers fell, taking thousands of neighbors and heroes with them. We will never forget how patriotism, like a flower in the frost, blossomed in the face of evil.
We will never forget how our world changed that day – when our generation learned that men can ruthlessly hate one another, that war is at times necessary, if not inevitable, and that the cores of humanity can both unite and divide people across the globe.
We will never forget how Americans, on that day and the days that followed, proved Osama bin Laden wrong.
America has never been united by blood, birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens. The fight to protect the ideals of the United States will never falter.
Though the politics of 9/11 may lead us to our differences, each anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, reminds us that in our weakest moments, the fight to preserve the deepest need of every human soul cannot be contained.
This Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011, we remember, knowing we will never forget.
