America on 9/12/2001 was not a happy place; it was full of grieving families, worried loved ones and sacrifices. It was, after all, one day after which all Americans stood huddled and dazed as death and destruction aired on daytime news. In short, a series of four coordinated attacks, organized by Al-Qaeda (an Islamic Terrorist Group), were carried out on 9/11. The attacks killed 2,996 people, injured over 6,000 more and caused $10 billion in damage.
That morning, two planes were flown into both towers comprising the World Trade Center in Manhattan, and, within two hours, both had collapsed. A third plane crashed into the Pentagon (the head quarters of the U.S. Department of Defense) in Virginia. And a fourth plane was initially flown towards Washington, D.C., but crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after the flight's heroic passengers fought back against the hijackers. In the efforts to rescue some of the victims of these heinous acts, 343 firefighters and 72 law enforcement officers were killed.
Now, some 17 years later, the pain is still just as raw as before. But whether or not we've really begun to heal is questionable.
Through the mourning of this event, a post on Facebook has been circulating. It reads:
"I miss 9/12. I would never ever want another 9/11, but I miss the America of 9/12. Stores ran out of flags because they were being flown everywhere. People were Americans before they were upper/ lower class, Jewish/ Christian, Republican/ Democrat. We hugged people without caring if they ate Chic-Fil-A or wore Nikes.
On 9/12, what mattered more was what united us, not divided us.
17 years. #NeverForget."
While the sentiment is nice and the images it portrays of a united country seem wonderful, what lurks in the background of this post is a hatred, a prejudice against people who are assumed to be Muslim, a movement towards blatant Islamophobia and xenophobia in the name of patriotism. Every day men, women and children who simply had similar skin tones to those who masterminded the attacks faced harassment and violence, which still carry over today.
While people feel that America came together as a country on September 12, 2001, to support each other through everything, a divide was born that day and has been growing ever since. That isn't something we should ever wish to go back to.
Yes, extremists exist. And, yes, events have happened even after 9/11 that people might associate with these people. But, there is simply no excuse for not giving every human the same level of trust and service as any other based off of skin color or religion. You can find a bad example of every type of person. But, you have to find the overwhelming good in the population, these people are part of our community and our country. They serve in our military, care for us as doctors, serve us as leaders and contribute daily to our world. So, no, don't wish for 9/12 and the "united" feeling that was in the air; rather, aim to be better than Americans were on September the 12th. Make the world a safe, trusting place, where everyone feels comfortable and accepted.
