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Remembering 9/11 and moving forward

In the 15 years since the 9/11 attacks, our nation has gone through a transformation. So has the rest of the world. While the subsequent terrorist attacks across the globe and here have not reached the scale of that searing day in September, they have created a climate in which all feel at risk when just going about their lives as civilians in open societies. And of course, those who were directly affected both on 9/11 and in all the violence that has followed will never be the same. Neither will any of us. 

However, the human spirit, put to the test, has mostly won, and will continue to win, for those who believe in democratic ideals and civilization based on freedom and inclusion. Still at war, still victimized by terrorism, in many ways still recovering, yet able to move forward and rebuild not just bricks and mortar and economies, but lives. There have been many stumbles and mistakes made in fighting radical terrorism, but also good decisions and victories. That should not be forgotten. 

Radicals who want to take over the political structures, and the minds, of their enemies face more than military response. They face the determination of individuals to never give up their personal right to think and believe as they wish, and to protect their families and communities from totalitarianism.

One representation of that spirit is One World Trade Center and the memorial there, built on the site of the 9/11 attacks in Lower Manhattan. All should take at least a day and visit the memorial and observation deck of the tower, which opened in 2014, to see the result of what 13 years of hard work, and yes, lots of discussion and disagreement over what the final rebuild should be, finally look and feel like.

The sense of unity in this country following 9/11 should be remembered as well. We are a large and diverse nation with many challenges, but all of us should hold on to that feeling of all being in this together with the goal of making our country and our lives better in the end.

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