In acknowledging what America lost that day, in recognizing how scared and angry we were and what we lost, we gain at least some measure of unity for the future.

America, united, can do anything it decides to, but our destination should be rooted in the lessons of our past.

Sept. 11, 2001

I was roughly one month away from my 11th birthday, and I learned for the first time to be afraid of the world.

I thought we were the most powerful and impenetrable nation on the face of the earth. Just out of the Cold War, we had become the last superpower on the face of the earth. We were strong. I thought we were invincible, and for the better part of my life, the world had agreed.

Then, the twin towers fell. In an instant, we were hurting, vulnerable, knocked off the throne we had made for ourselves. And the world saw. I suppose once we thought we were sitting on top of the world, there was nowhere to go but down.

So we went down, descending into our basic emotions: anger and fear.

Our collective state of mind split into a dichotomy of the two. I was told because we could, we had to make sure this never happened again. That’s what I mostly recall, the anger that people on the other side of the world had the impudence to attack us. In response, the military would attack and crush those responsible. Revenge for our dead can be extracted. Honestly, having soldiers in Afghanistan did make me feel safer.

On the other hand, this had happened with no warning and no foreseen rationale. It could happen again, and the sense was that it could happen anywhere, to anyone, to me. For this never to happen again, our borders have to be safe, our homeland must be secure. If we act patriotic, we can keep ourselves safe by sheer force of will.

I remember being told, “We’re all in this together,” as American flags sprang up on every street corner. We paid homage to our police officers and firefighters, who were not undeserving. Citizens acting patriotically helped stop a would-be bomber, Richard Reid, from blowing up a plane in December 2001. With every act, the way we lived our lives before 9/11 slipped further and further away.

It was only the little things that got to me, such as boarding a plane differently, suddenly knowing what Guantanamo Bay was or looking wistfully at a New York City skyline that only existed in ‘90s movies. Only, the little things are the things you never can get back.

Sept. 11, 2011

I will be roughly a month away from my 21st birthday, and I won’t be afraid anymore.

The events of Sept. 11 are ingrained into our society. America was knocked down, and we got up again. No one sees us as invincible anymore.

Before, that made me afraid. Now, I know it’s a good thing. It keeps us honest with ourselves about our abilities and limitations.
Now, instead of leading the charge in global affairs only to see no one behind us, we rely on our friends and allies. Look no further than our foreign policy of “leading from behind” in Libya as an example of that.

My fear and anger with Iraq and Afghanistan has softened. It took awhile, but we came to our senses and realized the actions of a few should not cause punishment for so many.

As I take in the world around me, I try to appreciate the little things.

Sure, I’ll never board a plane or look at a gallon of gas in the same way again. Now, however, I have new little things. There’s a little smile whenever I hear the phrase SEAL Team Six, knowing Osama bin Laden is dead, and we killed him.

I know what an Arab Spring is and how it affects me. Most importantly, I have the memories of the unity America had 10 years ago, and the faith America will one day have of unity without tinges of fear or anger.

Right now, I’m annoyed with America. Frustrated that in living patriotically, we’ve dug a financial hole for ourselves that is going to take years to claw our way out of.

I resent that despite America’s Christian fastidiousness, we’ve forgotten our scripture in these tough times; “So labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive,” Acts 20:35.

Yet, I remain faithful American unity is there.

Laz Jackson is the State News opinion writer. Reach him at jacks920@msu.edu.