Sweet Orange

I was watching a Frontline documentary (Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero) recently that talked about how some people were affected by the events of 9-11. One woman who went down to Grand Zero to help said she was struck by how much kindness and tenderness everyone was showing each other. I experienced a similar feeling after the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. Consideration and caring were everywhere; selfishness and intolerance of fellow citizens were nowhere to be found.

Now it is ten years later and that consideration and caring are difficult to find. Vitriol and division have taken their place. We only have to look at the U.S. Congress for a glaring example. Republicans and Democrats can’t find common ground. Instead, they are much better at accusation and name calling.

This brings up some questions: Do we really need a major collective heartbreak to bring us together? Can’t we get back to our better natures that we found immediately after 9-11? Not by insisting that everyone thinks and acts the way we do, but by allowing for differences while keeping our own beliefs.

9-11 is the date of a terrible tragedy in the United States. But to honor those who gave so much that day, let the anniversary of 9-11 be a call to return to our better natures—that better nature that we found immediately after the tragedy. Let it be a call to come together as fellow citizens in spite of our differences. And let’s reward our government representatives when they find common ground, not when they bring division. It would be the patriotic thing to do!