For many of Odyssey's viewers, the tragedies of September 11, 2001 is nothing but a blur. In fact, some might say it is more history than a distant memory.

Thousands of people went to bed on September 10 not knowing in the next 12 hours their lives will fundamentally change forever. Secretaries, first-responders, custodians, children, servers of all colors, creeds and ages perished in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania that day.

This year marks the 18th anniversary of 9/11, which also means those who were born on such an unspeakable day turn 18 too. And as those who were born on that day become adults, then that means they are eligible to enlist into a seemingly endless war that was indirectly caused by exploiting Americans' grief.

As we reflect and remember those who died on 9/11, we also should take a moment to incorporate a moment of silence for those who have died as a result of the needless wars that were created as a result of exploiting peoples' emotions.

Media outlets proclaimed in the following days that whomever was responsible should be downright bombed in retaliation. Some politicians went as so far to bomb any nation that had the slightest implication that they were harboring a terrorist. While Americans are most certainly justified for feeling angry and traumatized by such an unimaginable event, the most powerful institutions in America were wrong for playing off of these sentiments.

As a result, the United States triggered an unnecessary invasion of Iraq with practically no clearly defined target entering the region. They have created a culture of imperialism that has destabilized virtually the entire region, with no signs of long-term peace. The ruthlessness that this unfettered patriotism has cultivated has fundamentally defined a part of our generation's upbringing.

And that brings us to today. As a generation who were virtually infants during 9/11 and maybe during the Iraqi invasion in 2003, how we should look at this?

We live in extremely frightening times. Islamophobia seems to be normalized more than ever, it seems that the United States will remain in the Middle East as long as we live, and we might even realize that we have never genuinely felt what it is like to not be a nation at war.

We must say no to erratic American nationalism, American imperialism, and the hyper-masculine nature of the culture that we live in, all of which fuels this nation's strange addiction with power.

So while we say "Never Forget" to those who died on September 11, 2001, we must always say "Never Forget" to the hundreds of thousands of lives who have been ravaged by America's endless wars.