9/11 was stunning in so many awful ways, but one of the biggest takeaways was that things as we knew them and believed them were never going to be the same again. The invincibility we felt as a strong nation, where we seemingly just had to deal with our own internal issues, vanished forever. We are regularly reminded of that dark day whenever we venture through airports and trudge sheep-like, by necessity and for reassurance, through TSA screening lines. Before September, 2001, we occasionally witnessed terroristic attacks on military installations, malls, and innocent civilians around the world. Perhaps we took minor reassurance in believing that such incidents always occurred elsewhere, but not here…
We’ve watched for years as horrible, invisible, biological enemies sadly visited people around the world in microscopic attacks- Ebola, Zika, SARS, dengue, MERS. When polio and measles flare-ups appeared, we viewed them as distant relics of the past in America. Sure, we‘ve dipped our toes into turbulent viral waters in the United States over the past 60 years, but we no longer experienced viral tsunamis; those always festered in other places. We perhaps said to ourselves- yeh, those things happen over there, but not here…
We’ve watched in passive disbelief as countries were ripped apart by warring factions or tribal disputes disrupting lives, splitting families, and splintering nations into the haves and have nots, the elite and the ignored, the winners and the wanna-bes. But the underlying belief in our 245-year old system gave us the faith that we could withstand even disagreements that rose above the normal fray. We felt that compromise, morality, decency, common sense, and empathy would rule the day, so we wouldn’t have to rue the day. Sure, we’ve seen other countries fall apart, statues toppled, and fed-up people take to the streets. But not here…
Well, it’s 2020. And many believe that we have lost clarity, misplaced that 20/20 vision based on original principles upon which America was founded. And if you feel displeasure at reactions to what’s going on today, ignore it, or feel it’s simply an overreaction, then maybe you’ve never experienced being regularly mistreated as a minority, never been deemed an outcast, never had “the talk” with your innocent kids, never been chastised or bullied for merely existing, never been persecuted for being “different”. Terrorism, COVID-19, deep-seated social problems- American realities in the 21st century.
Think about it…