Humbled by Humanity

There is nothing I hate more than media cashing in over the loss of loved ones. Nothing I despise more than flipping through the channels and seeing every channel have something about the event that transpired 13 years ago on this day. It all seems so heartwarming and is masked with a “never forget” message, so it seems entirely innocent and purely in remembrance…. but it’s also a way to make more money- bring more traffic or revenue or views on a blog.

But I have to say something about 9/11…There is something to say about the tragedy that I just can’t leave unsaid this year. Something that some may call me “unpatriotic” for, but writing helps me process events and emotions- so click away at any point.

The United States of America is a melting pot; meaning that at some point (unless you are Native American) your family emigrated here from some other land.

9/11 hit us all so overwhelmingly hard not only because it was unexpected, but because with each loss we saw someone in our own lives. We may have not lost our own father, but when we hear of a little girl who did- it becomes personal. We told our loved ones our sincere appreciation and love for them on this day because we felt the effects even when we weren’t in the thick of it all ourselves. This day brought us together as a nation. This day helped us to see how similar we all are. How the loss of a loved one can happen to anyone, at any time. September 11^th gave us a heart for those in need. So many thousands of people lost their closest family and friends to a terrorist attack, and my heart aches for those on this day and every single day in-between. This heartache will never cease, it will only be filled with little moments of happiness until eventually the moments of happiness outweigh the deep sorrow in your heart.

I have always been patriotic; I still am. But there is something unnerving about what happened, and is still happening- that I feel is worth talking about. The way we look at “them,” the way we perceive “the enemy,” is truly heartbreaking. By all means, a deep hatred for whoever is responsible for masterminding the whole operation and all those involved to this day, but this slowly…..no, very quickly, transpired into a strong dislike towards a people unlike us- sort of as a whole. We have grown to become so incredibly patriotic, so consumed by the “American way,” that we forget to see humans as just that- humans. Whether they are our closest neighbor, or our most distant stranger….We forget what ties us all together.

Which brings me back to my first point, that we all, at some point in time, moved from another country here. Why are we now so judgmental and biased that we cannot accept people for who they are, instead of stereotyping them into who we think they are?

9/11 happened when I was very young, in fact- I was in 4^th grade I believe. It was not something I fully understood, or rather, not something I will ever fully understand. From that day forward, I have almost had a sense of fear instilled in me for that part of the world. They are “terrorists” by default. We have certainly come a long way in this mindset over the years, and have begun to realize our attitudes and be more accepting, but you cannot tell me this still doesn’t exist with a seemingly never-ending war. (And if you are shaking your head no right now, you are lying to yourself or you never watch any sort of media, ever)

I am humbled by humanity, though. I will not let this attitude shape my friendships. I have made friends with a woman across the world that is just like me, a passionate soul who loves to write. It is a truly beautiful thing, to connect with someone who lives in a world entirely opposite of your own. To know that although you may live in polar opposite places, you are so alike in countless ways. In this friendship, I have realized that by having a mindset of “the enemy” and not ever truly letting yourself get to know someone, you are missing out on invaluable friendships. You are limiting yourself from making another best friend.

September 11^th left a scar on our hearts; a mark that some have let them grow cold and bitter towards the world; towards a people unlike themselves. Losing someone close to you can do this. Actually, losing someone close to you more often than not DOES do that. It leaves you with so much anger, so much resentment, so many questions and unsaid things… and it blocks out a love of people.

I ask that on this September 11^th, you remember all those who have fallen. You send up a prayer for your loved ones and those who have lost loved ones, and you decide to open your heart to new friendships and opportunities…. Even those that live in a land we are at war with.

I ask that you begin to see the world in a new light; I ask that you begin to see a world with no walls.

 I urge you to wave your American flag with pride, but look at the world with no boundaries.

I ask that you build a close friendship with someone from a culture nothing like yours, so you can see that there’s no such thing as “nothing like you….”

For we are all humankind, it is time we start acting like it.