Our generation came of age in a post-9/11 world. Some of us remember where we were and what we were doing during the Sept. 11 attack, some don’t want to remember, and some couldn’t care less about it. Whatever the case may be, it is undeniable that the attack has had a tremendous impact on each of our lives and futures.
The 9/11 attacks hit the World Trade Center towers and Pentagon, killing around 3,000 people in 2001, with another plane crashing in a field in Pennsylvania before it could reach its intended target. The attack showed us, and the rest of the world, that not even American citizens are completely safe from the dark side of a global society.
The attack also sparked change in this nation’s attitude, agenda and values. In the aftermath of 9/11, questions and assumptions about Islam and middle-eastern culture led to increased curiosity of many different cultures. Americans started opening their minds more towards different ideas. We realized we weren’t at the top of the world anymore, and that we needed to start expanding our knowledge about other people.
From the rubble of Ground Zero, and the ensuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a new America was born; but we are at the center of the country. We are the generation that grew up with a clear understanding of what happened on 9/11, its global impact, and how our nation’s response affected the world.
The attack happened while most of us were in school or college. This event gave our generation an identity — much like President John F. Kennedy’s assassination gave to previous generations. We grew up on tolerance and mutual understanding as an antithesis to the closed view of terrorism. We witnessed the positives and negatives of our nation’s response to the attack. We became united through a common event.
Very soon, we will lead this world. Leaders from older generations have tried their best to honor 9/11 victims by winning wars. But after ten years, there’s terrorist activity threatening our nation. August was the deadliest month for U.S . armed forces in Afghanistan. Osama Bin Laden is dead, yet terror levels are still increasing.
The best way our generation can honor those who died in an act of misunderstanding and hate is to spread the unique, positive values we’ve realized while growing up after this tragedy. We can shape this world to run on mutual understanding, rather than greed and hate. It’s up to us to rid this world of intolerance
