25 years ago we watched in horror as our nation was attacked.
I was in the 9th grade then.
And like so many others, I made a promise I would never forget.
I spent this morning reliving those memories with my son.
I explained to him what we didn’t know.
We didn’t know it was an attack.
Until the second plane hit the towers.
And then we didn’t know there were only four planes.
Or when it would be over.
Fear gripped us. Because we didn’t know.
We didn’t know when the next attack would come.
Or what it might look like.
Or where it might happen.
We didn’t know about the loss of life.
We knew people were dying.
In the planes, in the Towers, in the Pentagon, and on the streets.
But we didn’t know almost 3,000 Americans would lose their lives that awful day.
We didn’t know about the heroes.
The brave men and women on Flight 93.
The First Responders rushing into danger.
The ordinary citizens who did what they could.
And the countless sacrifices of service members and intelligence officers determined to prevent more attacks.
For a moment in time.
Terror brought our nation together.
It didn’t matter who you were, where you lived, how you grew up, or how much money you made.
We were all Americans.
We all felt the fear, the anger, and the pain.
We all prayed for mercy and for a better future for our children.
We didn’t know we would forget.
But time passes. Memory fades.
And soon we returned to the normal patterns of life.
We are still grateful for the heroes.
But we forgot what made them willing to sacrifice their lives in the first place.
9/11 was not just a series of terrorist attacks.
It was a terrifying display of evil.
It was the most powerful reminder in a generation of the value of human life.
And so quickly.
We forgot.
We returned to tribalism.
We returned to hate.
We replaced heartfelt gratitude for our neighbors with disdain.
Over different politics.
Over different cultures.
Over different skin colors.
We forgot.
Even though we made a promise we never would.
Every year.
9/11 is a reminder of heroism and patriotism.
And every bit of it is deserved.
But this date should also be a permanent marker of our humanity.
Today we should remember the victims.
We should honor our heroes.
And we should remember why they sacrificed.
Evil is awful because people matter.
Not people you agree with.
Not people who look like you.
Not people in your party or tribe or social class.
Evil is awful because people matter.
Today.
25 years later.
Remember the promise you made.
Never Forget.
We saw the face of evil on 9/11.
But we also saw the best of us.
And we saw the best in others.
Never forget.
Because we made a promise.
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Joshua Wester 