20 Years Later-How Far Have We Really Come?

September 11, 2001. A day that none of us will ever forget. Never forget where we were, what we were doing, how we felt when we heard the news of the first plane hitting, then the second.... and the Pentagon. How unsafe we felt, no matter where we were-unsure of what was happening around us and how we had no control over any of it. Not sure what was going to happen next. All of the loss of life and damage... The largest domestic attack our country has ever seen. So many heroes were born that day-First Responders who got people to safety and who risked and sacrificed their own lives for others; every day citizens who helped others... People who ran to give blood and enlist in the military; to volunteer. The way this country came together in the aftermath of this unthinkable tragedy was unprecedented. It's very sad that it took something like that to unite us in that way. And we all vowed to "Never Forget".

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But unfortunately-20 years later-in my opinion--it seems like we have. I think Social Media is partly to blame--giving EVERYONE a platform to share their views and opinions openly for all to see. You can't go on any of those platforms and not see SOMETHING political in the news feed. Republicans, Democrats, Not My President, on and on and on. Doesn't matter who is in office, doesn't matter what they do. It's over the top and out of control. Friendships are lost over arguments on these topics. It's extremely divisive. Presidents of different parties over the course of my lifetime have always been able to reach across the aisle and develop SOME sense of togetherness among us. Not these days. I remember in the week after the attacks back in 2001--standing on street corners in Kalamazoo Michigan doing live broadcasts with a Commercial Pilot from United Airlines who was hanging around because he couldn't fly anywhere---collecting donations for the Red Cross Relief Efforts in New York and shaking hands with and even hugging and crying with strangers on those streets.

Didn't matter what the color of our skin was, didn't matter how old or young we were, didn't matter what our political beliefs were. We were all one nation. A nation of people grieving over the loss we had all suffered-whether we had lost anyone in New York or DC that day or not. I want THAT America back--and I don't want any of us to have to suffer thru another tragedy like we did on 9-11-01 to get there again. So as we reach the 20th anniversary of that unspeakable day--lets all make it a goal to love one another again and be there for each other again. Because in the end--we're all we have.