Use 9/11 as inspiration to do good

With the 15th anniversary of one of the most horrific tragedies in American history, it is only appropriate that we all take a moment to reflect its aftermath, both bad and good. Our country has changed exponentially since that disheartening morning and those “102 minutes that changed America.”

Looking with the naked eye, one could come to the conclusion that we’ve gone nowhere but downhill since in the past 15 years. Whereas others, in a rather ghoulish light, view the happenings of that day as the gateway of national revitalization. Before 9/11, it’s agreeable that we were slowly distancing ourselves as an entity. And through the misery of terrorism, our country stopped everything that preoccupied us from one another, and stood together as one.

Americans—men and women, young and old, black, white and polka dot­—all felt the same indescribable feelings in the pits of our stomachs. We knew that through our tenacity and patriotism, our nation would live on. What was highly undetermined, however, were the ramifications and nature of livelihood thereafter.

Many Americans were ready to rage war. It was due in part to these toxic attitudes, and the and the lack of information about follow-up attacks, that day-to-day operations were forever impacted. This left the public in a state of unnerving paranoia.

Since then, metal detectors and x-ray scanners have made their way into airports and civic centers across the country; backpacks and coolers aren’t allowed into a baseball games without hassle. We’ve become distrusting as a species, which evolved into a political animal in of itself. Our fear gave birth to phenomena like helicopter parenting and put our ever-growing bloodlust toward islamophobia into overdrive.

For thousands, their loved ones died and their occupations were demolished. In other respects, the aforementioned American pride was wearing paper thin. As local news broadcasts streamed live from New York and pundits began philosophizing the weeks and years to come; not too many people stopped to ask themselves the real underlying question: What exactly was the meaning behind initial incentives and where did the national mourning end, and thoughts of warfare begin?

It’s time for our mindsets to change.

Think to yourself, the upsides of our new era in the USA. In recent years, we’ve accomplished equality for the homosexual community as well as continuously strove for gender equality. On a national scale, we’ve opened our hearts and minds to the acceptance of multiculturalism; watching as the etched bigotry of previous generations increasingly ebb away.

Of course we still have racial conflict in this country, as heartbreaking as it is to say. We still experience episodes of terror around the world and the media does nothing but constantly pump that darkness into our airwaves and television screens. It’s up to us to make that change.

Another outlier in all of this was our sudden sense of gratitude. Sometimes it takes tragedy to bring us all together. But, our graciousness seems to fall short when facing matters head-on. The blessings and homage is only paid temporarily, and with a pinch, we’re right back to the drawing board.

Let’s put our energy toward creating a bright future nationwide, rather than continue to fight and dwell on the horrors of our past. Leave the vendettas and conspiracies at the door and just remember that more than 3,000 people lost their lives in a barbaric action. The reality is burdensome enough; we don’t need added commentary.

Allow 9/11 to stand as a memorial for the innocent men and women in those towers; not our bickering. Please, don’t re-blog memes depicting the towers crumbling with the caption, “Who’s still pissed? I am!” because actions like this only promote more hatred which in return, only bring on more opportunity for vulnerability.

Unneeded vengefulness and the inability of squashing grudges will serve as our deathblow if we keep it up. Enough time has been wasted spreading negative energy. Beyond the domestic and international conflicts that are occupying mainstream headlines, there’s also a lot of unsung positivity taking place simultaneously. Do everything in your power to eliminate hatefulness on your campus, in your household, in your communities and at your workplace. Take the fire burning inside of you and transform it into strengthening fellowships, educating the ignorant as well as developing our own tolerances and understandings for other walks of life as well. What religion you practice or the region of heritage has zero impact on you personally.

We have clubs and interest groups on campus with mission statements that ensure each individual member is not discriminated against due to their race, sexual orientation or gender. Remember that our towers were struck because of turmoil, not because of peace.

Day in and day out there’s spokespeople telling us what our country needs. I hear about it constantly as we approach the presidential election. Well, this is my two cents.

Release your preconceived notions and tiresome feuds for the productivity of civilization. Be that shining light piercing through the darkness; open your eyes to the goodness in the world that’s out there desperately waiting to be spotlighted in a time of such forecasted evil.  Instead of littering the streets and vandalizing our communities in outcry; represent the bravery of those who died while in rescue. Uphold the definition of the lyrics in our national anthem to the same level they did. Be uplifting in this new era of our world. If America truly is the land of the free and the home of the brave, then it’s about time we start demonstrating those values. Bravery is not measured in angst or uproar; but by how far you’re willing to go in spite of that.