Never to be forgotten are the maddening atrocities of Sept. 11, 2001. The immense horror and pain experienced by both the families of the victims and the American people as a whole still remains haunting, five years later. Especially in this week following the anniversary of the attacks, the losses we have experienced as a society are unmistakably evident; not only those of life, or of capital, but some of even a more permanent and debilitating nature—those of bravery, and tolerance.
The tremendous desire for atonement for the intense pain and loss of life experienced on Sept. 11 is rekindled every time its memory is brought to light. As the planes flew into the towers that day, simultaneously a blind, societal anger was triggered; while we watched the buildings crash to the ground, it was almost as if the rest of the world disappeared—the immediate clamor of the preparation of armament deafened us to the outside world, and our foreign policy became a reaction to fear, feeding off of our society’s overwhelming desire for retribution. These extreme sentiments were understandable, even justified at the time—our fervor for combating terrorism was fueled from the circumstances surrounding the attacks; as a result, our judgment as citizens and legislators became skewed. If fear and xenophobia had not influenced popular opinion, general post-9/11 foreign policies, the Patriot Act, and our aggressive anti-terrorism strategies would have undoubtedly been more carefully scrutinized and more rationally evaluated as a whole.
Nevertheless, perhaps we are superior as a society and a government for all that has happened—perhaps we’re in a far, far better place as a country, as some say; we perceive ourselves to be stronger, and more unified. We’re safer, or, at the very least, take solace in the fact that national security is much greater than it was previous to the attacks.
However, I would disagree with those who say we are more globally aware because of all that has happened, and argue instead that we are more globally afraid, and cut off from the comprehension of our surroundings. Instead of striving for more understanding, we struggle for more control; our increased national security can just as easily be described as increased national distrust.
The horrors of Sept. 11 will always be with us as a society, I think; the prejudices created from our fears and lack of understanding have impacted our foreign policy in the past five years, and yet will have even greater repercussions for our country in the future. Our continued distrust and bitter sentiments surrounding the attacks obscures our hope of understanding them, and overshadows our reverence for the dead. Truly, though, we will never forget that fateful day—indeed, we are forever changed.
