No, the tragic events that took place 14 years ago did not happen in our great city.
But that’s not the point.
We didn’t have to wake up on that fateful day and watch one of our beloved Chicago skyscrapers crumble right before our eyes.
But that’s not the point, either.
Out of hatred for our freedom, way of life, and standard of living – 2,977 innocent people were killed on September 11th, 2001. Many of these individuals were guiltless, harmless people who woke up that morning, brushed their teeth, took a shower, drank their coffee, and headed to work. Others were heroes: men and women whose single goal in life was to serve others in times of need.
As Americans, we often overlook the daily freedoms that allow us to live our lives as we intend to. We can wake up in the morning and go work without fear that we’ll be killed. We can speak openly about social issues, the government, and suggest reform without having to worry. We can send our children off to school without worrying that they might not make it home that day.
Freedom digs much deeper than that, though. When we think of what it means to be American, and when we remember what all of the men and women who have fought for our rights in the past have done for us, we always think of it on a broad scale. We can vote, we can bear arms, and we can expect to be treated equally as human beings, we can practice any religion, and we can choose to avoid it all together.
But you know what else we can do? Plan out our weekend. Enjoy a nice glass of wine with dinner. See a movie. We can spend an entire day plugging away at our smartphones, and you know why? Because we’re American, and we’re lucky as hell to live in this country. We have TVs, we have internet almost everywhere. We have quality-made shoes. We have an entire closet full of clothes. We have homes that are made out of brick and glass. We can wake up in the morning and brush our teeth. We don’t have armies marching through our streets. We don’t have to worry about missiles tearing through our ceilings at any given moment, or soldiers rushing into our living rooms and taking our children.
So no, the tragic events that took place on 9/11 did not happen in our great city. They happened in our country. And most of all, they happened in our hearts. The freedom we enjoy on a daily basis was momentarily taken from us in the blink of an eye. The nation came together as one to express shock and mourning.
But this day shouldn’t be remembered for its tragic events. We should remember the heroic stories of men and women who ran back into the buildings to save complete strangers. We should remember the bystanders who took action instead of idly standing by and letting these events unfold before their eyes. And most of all, we should remember how America stood tall when its freedom was threatened, and how we will never ever let an act of tragedy tear us apart as a nation.
That right there – that is the point.
Photo Credit: Famous Pictures
