I was 4 years old when it happened. Considerably too young to even fathom what was going to be one of the worst, if not the worst, terrorist attacks that our country would ever encounter. September 11th, 2001 is a date that to this day still resonates in our hearts because of the sheer propensity with which it feels like even though the planes shattered the Twin Towers in New York City, they created a lasting impact on each and every one of our lives as well.
At just the tender age of 4 years old, I still remember the feeling of shock and horror while the television screen updated us on every minute of the attack. We were dismissed early from Kindergarten that day and rightfully so as there was no where on earth that I wanted to be other than in my home with my family's arms around me. You see, this attack it was much bigger than any of us. It was a sign of pure hatred and despicable nature which showed that there were people out there that wanted to see us defeated. When the Twin Towers went down on that day, people claim that they knew our country was changing. People felt vulnerable and unsafe. They felt like our country had been violated, our comfort disrupted. I imagine that everyone living in major cities, or pretty much anywhere, felt scared and defenseless. Over the years as I learned more information of the attack in school, anger towards the people who would do such a thing to the country we call home was replaced with understanding of the beauty and power of togetherness. Just as in the time soon after the attack, people all around the country still come together to support one another in each individual’s time of need. The diverse nation that was once almost defeated has risen up from the ashes to come together as one. For many of us young and old, within tragedy we learned compassion, patience, and the unlimited potential of strength and commitment.
Fifteen years later I am by no means saying that this country is perfect. We evidently still have disparities between our diverse population, rich vs. poor, black vs. white, gay vs. straight, citizen vs. noncitizen. However, these differences should not cause differences between us, this melting pot of a country is one to celebrate. Furthermore, the more the cracks between our divergences grow, it will lead to our ultimate demise. We are opening ourselves up to attacks from other nations because we are making ourselves vulnerable by splitting ourselves up by opinion, religion, race, economic status, gender, and sexuality.
