We Used to be Better: A Reflection on 9/11

Today marks the 20^th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. As I watch the news, listen to historical perspectives on the attacks, and remember where I was that day, only one thought keeps coming to me: “As a nation, we used to be better…”

I remember the shock of that day as I sat in our rented house in Chipata, Zambia. There were no cell phones in those days, only landlines. Additionally, we only had email and limited internet; social media was not a thing twenty years ago. A colleague called us on our landline and said, “Find a way to watch the news, America is under attack.” Thankfully, the landlord had a satellite dish and we watched CNN in horror as the first building was already burning, and then we saw it live as the second plane slammed into the tower. From that moment, terrorism became a reality for every American; Homeland Security was birthed, flying became one security screening after another, a war began in Afghanistan, and T.V. shows, movies, and our entire cultural narrative became laced with the struggle against terrorism.

While these things were tragic, there was a palpable resilience among the American people and a unified spirit against a common enemy. It was a time of heroic action. We were overwhelmed with stories of firefighters running up to their deaths in burning towers, while others ran down to escape. Average citizens in NYC ran towards the tower to try and help in some way regardless of the danger. Military recruitment went up exponentially as young men and women were willing to risk it all to protect those they loved. We were not perfect, but America showed her mettle, and we were better as a nation.

As I reflect on those events, our disunity and self-centeredness today saddens me. I realize the things I am going to say are controversial and will anger some, but they are things I must say. What has changed over the last twenty years? One major thing is that we are more connected now than we were twenty years ago, but we are more divided. Social media was not a thing back then, but now there are myriad social media platforms and almost everyone is connected. This social connectedness has only served to isolate us behind our phones and divide us as a nation as we polarize inside the echo chamber of our choice. We don’t discuss anymore; we shout at one another, and the one who shouts the loudest and longest wins.

Technology and the internet have advanced exponentially in these last twenty years, but what is the result? Pornography is at everyone’s fingertips, foul language has become acceptable, and the “dark web” is a place where every kind of evil is bought and sold. Twenty years later, smartphones are now in everyone’s hands (including our children) and we spend more time looking at screens than we do at the faces of the people we love. We have always been independent, individualistic people, but the internet and social media have allowed us to make everything about “me” and most of our time is spent promoting ourselves, searching for the right filters, and trying to create a public persona that will be the envy of all our virtual friends.

Our culture has sunk into decadence and hedonism that is worse than ever. Morally, I must admit, we were already on the slide in 2001 but since that time the pace has quickened. 2015 saw the legalization of gay marriage across the U.S. and now it is impossible to watch a T.V. show or Movie without that open, blaring agenda in your face. Now Disney is on board and they are pushing that narrative to our children. Promiscuity, sex before marriage, legalized marijuana, and mass shootings are commonplace, and any talk of family values will get you categorized as a bigot or racist.

While any honest, thinking person can tell you that things are getting worse instead of getting better, the most disheartening decline since 9/11 has been the increasing division in our society. Instead of people coming together, they just keep getting further apart. Every day is another protest, a Capitol riot, or a fight on an airplane because people are too self-centered to consider others. Think about this next fact… 2996 people died in the twin towers and our entire nation galvanized and came together to face a common threat. 659,000 people have died with COVID in the U.S. and yet we are still arguing about vaccines and masks. In 2001, we Americans were willing to put our lives on the line for each other, in 2021 we are not even willing to consider sacrificing our “personal rights.” We used to be better.

I miss the America that rises to the occasion and puts others before themselves. We still see glimpses of heroism in some today. Like first responders who ran into burning towers at the risk of their own lives, we have health care workers doing the same in the face of a national crisis that could be greater than terrorism. My point is what are we doing as individuals? What price are we willing to pay? Can we put down our phones and talk to people who think differently than we think? Are we willing to do our part and to serve others rather than ourselves? Are we willing to value what God values, instead of just valuing what makes us feel good? May God help us to be better.