September 11th - Healing, 10 years later.

Although the last decade has been one of war, frustration, and low morale, the American people are finally healing.

September 11th is a day that will always represent the differences that the world faces today - differences in race and religion. These differences can never be resolved and they will never change, but they will always remind us of what we have to lose should we let our differences get the best of us. This day is a day that we will tell our children about, a day that we hope that our children will tell their children about; not to spread words of hatred, but to teach them the meanings of “tolerance” and “love” and “respect”.

Many feel anger, desperation and hopelessness when they reflect on the events of September 11th. Even today, ten years later, few feel forgiveness and hope; we are a nation rebuilding, not a nation healed.

On this anniversary of September 11th, I feel conflicted. My husband is overseas, fighting on behalf of the American people, because of the events that happened one decade ago. So, I feel that people might expect me to preach hatred towards the war or towards the Afghani people because they “took my husband away from me” or that I might be angry at them. Yet, I cannot bring myself to hate the Afghani people or their country… Every country has evil that lives within, but those people are the exception and one handful of people does not constitute a whole country. This applies to Afghanistan, as well as the rest of the Middle East.

I don't hate them. I don't even hate the war. I think it's unnecessary and I wish it wasn't still going on, because (of course) I want my husband home, too. That being said, it is a fact of life that must be faced until it is over and all our military are home safely. We have no other choice but to support them and love them, even though we feel neither for the war.

Recognizing the healing that has occurred is necessary for the rebuilding of our country. Our morale is low because of a prolonged war, our emotions are restless because our country is politically divided, and our minds are consumed with life rather than living; but the American people still prevail. We have rallied, come back, recessed, and then come back again… In the words of President Obama, “these past ten years tell us a story of our resilience”. I'd like to think that the next ten years will tell us a story of the same thing; the future is a promise to us that the world will continue no matter what adversity we face.

The American people do not live, we survive. We have learned how to survive in the face of danger, fear, and oppression - we have been since our first ancestors came here. Years from now, our children, and their children after them, will look upon this day with profound respect and pride. Hopefully, in the future, our country will not stand so divided and we will be able to see our country fully healed, not just rebuilding.

“This land pulses with the optimism of those who set out to distant shores and those who dedicated their lives in the pursuit of freedom.”