What rage we felt that day! We were not strangers, but brothers! Five minutes earlier the man walking next to you was unfamiliar, now, you are comrades.
The smoke was billowing, people were crying. Was it an accident? Was it an error? Was it even reality? Surely not. But then the second plane hit and every eye that saw it knew....this was deliberate. What sort of person could justify this unholy slaughter!?
People were running, rumors flew, and tempers flared. Through the smoke there was a sickening screech and a rumble that shook the sea. People screamed and watched in horror as the first tower fell. It was as if the earth swallowed the monster in one gulp. White dust covered every surface, and debris floated through the air. It was serene in a sickening sort of way.
There was a united sinking of hearts as those standing in the streets imagined all of the people trapped inside the buildings; injured, dying, or dead already.
"We should kill them! The people who did this, we should bomb them!" cried one man as disbelief turned to horror and rage.
The whole country watched as the second tower fell, and the whole country shook with fear. Was this the beginning of something much worse? Was the entire world under attack? Who was targeting the United States?
Above all, at that moment, every man, woman, and child in the United States of America were....UNITED.
We stood as one reckoning force, crying out in rage against this attack on our homeland. We bled with our brothers and sisters trapped in the rubble, and we supported the injured and weak. We put our differences aside, and stood up.....as AMERICANS!!
I think we often forget how that day felt to us.
Sometimes I listen to the debates I hear around me about the trending issues, and I wonder, is this really the most important thing? Pro life versus pro choice, who cares? How about pro mutual respect and support instead? Republican versus Democrats? Why do we have to fight over labels? Republicans and Democrats died side by side on September 11! I guarantee they weren't arguing over the correct method of regulating healthcare when the building collapsed under their feet.
I'm not saying these things aren't important. I'm just saying that I think we get caught up in the logistics so much, that we can't remember what really matters, running America for the American people!
We should be brothers and Americans first, and then the rest will come more naturally.
Sometimes I think we should sit all the politicians down before a big decision, and play ground zero footage from September 11 just for a little perspective. I believe the greatest shame would be for us to forget that day and what it meant to us.
No comments:
Post a Comment