How do we teach the young people of our nation about the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks? Over the weekend, hundreds of images were displayed on social media, online and print news sources, and documentaries. Those who witnessed and survived the attacks shared the horror they felt on that day.
The information is easily accessible for anyone who does not remember. However, the shift to a collective uncertainty in our nation after 9/11/01 is not discernable in the images and interviews with survivors. Before that day, we were confident, and perhaps careless, in our feeling of security. As a nation, our vulnerability was revealed, and we were afraid.
On September 13, 2001, we were still in shock and struggling to comprehend the scope of the attacks. As many reporters and commentators said then, “we will never be the same.”
It wasn’t long before the stories of heroic acts reached the news outlets. We were inspired by the courage and selflessness of so many people. In our nation today, this may be an important lesson for us all–we can live and work together as “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”