The way we were in the days after Sept. 11

How quickly our headlines change! Last week we celebrated the joy of Kate and William’s wedding, This week we experienced the anguished triumph of bin Laden’s death. While news of the daring clandestine raid brought some closure to the events of Sept. 11, it also vividly reopened the wounds of that awful day. Though nothing will take the pain away, let us also reflect on the way we were during those times.

Let us remember that:

We were strong when we worked together. In the poignant time right after Sept. 11, there was unity in the country. We all wanted to know what we could do to assist others. Kindness was everywhere. A New York-minute slowed down to a drawling Southern-minute in which strangers took the time to look one another in the eye and bond with their common humanity. Over the last few years, that sense of unity has lapsed. We turn on our fellow Americans as if they were the enemy. Instead of working together, we tear each other apart. So, let us remind ourselves to re-energize our national spirit by going back to the future when our nation was at its best

We have important issues to address, problems to resolve. It’s not just Snooki who gets bogged down with small stuff. We all do. Day-to-day existence snares us into spending our time tending to things that we all know aren’t important, yet somehow, we make them important. And then we wonder, where did the day go? When we, as a nation, get bogged down in silly distractions (like still wondering about the birth place of our President), instead of inspiring our President to focus on what he was elected to do, we all lose. There are so many important issues that really do matter. And when we don’t address them, stuff happens. And when stuff happens, serious consequences occur. In the days after Sept. 11, we knew what mattered. So, let us once again use sound judgment in deciding what matters and let us use our energy accordingly.

We have bounced back. In the time following Sept. 11, we kept hearing that things will never be the same. But, in many ways, things are the same. Normalcy has long ago returned to our nation. And that is a good thing. Yes, air travel will never be the same and security precautions are more widespread. But is there any doubt in anyone’s mind that we are a resilient nation? After being brutally attacked and emotionally traumatized, we tended to the wounded, helped ourselves heal and returned to the business of living, loving and learning. So, let us never forget that we are a resilient people. We can be knocked down but we won’t be knocked out by hate, bitterness or malice.

We must be cautious when we celebrate bin Laden’s death. I was pleased to hear a thinking teen on TV describe his discomfort as he witnessed the celebration of bin Laden’s death. It doesn’t feel right, he said, to be so joyous. Of course, he was 5-years-old when all the horror happened. So, it may not feel as personal to him as it does to adults whose memories were indelibly etched with the horrific happenings of Sept. 11. Understandably, these people felt triumph and exhilaration when they first heard the news. Of all the villains in the world, bin Laden certainly deserved his fate. He was a mass murderer. He showed no remorse for the death of innocents. He exemplified the worst of religion. His death feels right not only because of what he did but because of what he would still do, if he had the chance. But we also remember how we felt when we saw people in other lands whooping it up when the Twin Towers fell. So, let us refrain from modeling our behavior after those we despise. It’s understandable if we want to revel in our victory but let our revelations be muted, grounded in the principles of justice and the elimination of an icon of evil.

© Copyright 2011 Linda Sapadin, Ph.D.