Kaiya Lakes | The Chronicle
For as long as I can remember, September 11th has been a sad day. A day where students go to school and take a moment of silence before beginning their classes, a day where parents reflect and recount where they were and how they felt all those years ago, a day where the divisiveness of American politics and the lingering hatred between parties dissipated. Coming together as a society every September 11th since 2001 has always mirrored patriotism across the political spectrum. It has reminded us that no matter our beliefs, we, Americans, are a united front. Left versus right had no significance in remembering the lives we lost that day and reminding the United States that the events of 9/11 were humanly wrong.
This past September 11th felt nothing like I’ve ever experienced in the past. The rejoice, the compassion, the sorrow, the communal allegiance we have to our country; I felt none of it. I felt nothing but hatred this year. In light of recent events, I felt the hostility between political parties and the growing public divide in our country. I felt different sides of a political spectrum blaming one another out of nothing but resentment for the others beliefs. I did not feel the togetherness of a society remembering those innocent souls who lost their lives 24 years ago.
While I am the first to understand the difference in opinion and the rising polarization throughout America, I find it appalling that we as a nation have begun to allow ourselves to socially divide to the point of unconsciously diminishing our memory of 9/11 and what it means to our country.
Considering the recent tragedies in our nation, and their proximity to the anniversary of 9/11, it would be remiss to not point out that much of the traditional “never forget” narratives that surface every September were replaced this year with news and opinions regarding gun violence in America. Historically, the anniversary of September 11 provided a rare opportunity where spokespeople and news outlets from both perspectives shared similar messages and became publicly harmonious, a time where both political parties acknowledged the heaviness of the losses and recognized that beyond our beliefs we are all on the same “side.” A time when people looked around our country, beyond race and gender and faith, and realized that we are all Americans.
It is my biggest fear that as political turmoil grows throughout our country, we will lose sight of the things that morally bring us together as United States citizens and remind us of what we’ve sacrificed and lost as a nation. September 11 has always been a day where difference in political opinion does not matter. We are one nation, recognizing that all those years ago we were one nation under attack, and now, despite our varying ideologies, we are still one nation of people.
My hope is that the United States can wake up and realize that polarization will only misguidedly continue to force both sides of the political spectrum as far away from each other as possible. I hope that as a country we can step back and recognize that it was tragedies like September 11th that taught us the strength behind being a united front, the power we have to overcome and our ability to grow all together as a nation.
When we say “never forget” next year in remembrance of September 11th, I hope we mean it.
