On this day 10 years ago, teachers went to work. Truck drivers completed their assigned routes on time. Nurses went home to finally sleep after what may or may not have been the longest night shift of their lives. A nation mourned for its loss.
But more importantly, in the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center, a nation came together. Estranged family members put aside their disagreements and picked up the phone to make sure their loved ones were okay. People baked cookies and sent clothes and wrote checks to strangers in need. Bankers on Wall Street decided to take a leave of absence and join the Marines. American flags flew around the nation in places where no one had bothered to display them before. On Sept. 12, 2001, a nation came together and began to rebuild with nothing but each other to turn to for solace.
When President Barack Obama addressed the nation last Thursday about his new plan to create jobs and boost the economy, he urged the country to come together, saying, “We are tougher than the times we live in.”
Today, we are faced with dismal employment numbers, a divided government which seems to be playing election-year politics before election year and an ever-looming question mark stamped on the future of our nation’s viability.
Today 10 years ago, we were faced with starting from scratch in the aftermath of disaster. Today 10 years ago, Americans everywhere, whether they were immediately impacted by the devastation of 9/11 or not, put aside their differences, looked beyond labels and geography and political party and came together.
If 10 years ago we could look catastrophe in the eye and rise above it, surely we can rise above petty partisanship in Congress and work together to create jobs and help our economy recover. If a New York City fireman could rescue bankers stuck on the 90th floor of the World Trade Center as it collapsed, then surely our government can help Joe Schmo attain gainful employment.
This weekend we all remembered and reflected on the events of Sept, 11, 2001, but on this day, Sept. 12, we should remember its decade-old counterpart and look to it as a model for the future. Republican or Democrat, Boston University student or Wall Street banker, it is our duty as Americans to overcome the insurmountable when faced with the task. We did it once. We can do it again.
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