Focusing on the tragedy while forgetting the world's response is what the terrorists want you to do.
Instead, remember the unity and selflessness over the next few days that gave us hope through our grieving:
- The heroes of Flight 93: "Let's Roll."
- The Star-Spangled Banner played at Buckingham Palace, and the worldwide sentiment that "We Are All Americans."
- The patriotism of firefighters, police officers, and Pentagon staff that we often overlook until they die while serving us.
- Air traffic controllers and airline staff who brought the system down and back up again even after losing friends and colleagues.
- So many New Yorkers donating blood that the Red Cross had to ask them to stop.
- Countless stories of kindness among strangers in New York and everywhere travellers were stranded.
- Congress united in song at the Capitol.
- A nation and a world united behind a popular president.
It really happened. I was proud of my country and its people and its leaders.
For a few days, there was possibility and hope that from tragedy, Americans would rededicate ourselves to the ideals we like to think we strive for--freedom, peace, human dignity, openness, and ingenuity. We believed that we win by sticking to our ideals. Do we still?
The five years since 9/11 did not have to see the United States stooping to the level of terrorists in dealing with its enemies. We did not have to surrender the very freedoms the terrorists are supposed to hate us for. We did not have to squander the unity that comes around only once in a generation. We did not have to invade a country that didn't attack us. We did not have to humiliate our visitors from overseas. We did not even have to bankrupt the airlines.
I remember 9/12, and I want to live in that America again.