September 11 Digital Archive

tp70.xml

Title

tp70.xml

Source

born-digital

Media Type

story

Created by Author

yes

Described by Author

no

Date Entered

2003-02-28

TomPaine Story: Story

"Toward A More Perfect Union",


"Watching that structure collapse, knowing people were still inside, was total devastation of spirit. Everyone who saw those images was changed by them. The immediate reactions were honest and humble. Matt Lauer screamed out in horror as the second plane hit, and it was humanity to the core. Where the focus in American society is always on the self, the focus now was entirely on the people directly involved. We sensed the tragedy of others, or were swept up in our own.

Humanity stood still that day. Many thought we would grow stronger from the wretched event. It was obvious we had been forever changed. But then the cliches crept in -- our old ways of living life found solid
ground as time limped on.

""America Under Attack"" graced cable television screens like a New York Post headline. Chants of ""U-S-A"" filled the dusty World Trade Center grounds behind a President proudly pumping his fist, as though cheering on the Dream Team. And ""God Bless America"" became the
rallying cry for all those who believed in the divine superiority of our nation and its people. THAT is when our international friends started to roll their eyes. The rhetoric of our might echoed across the planet, in
desperate search of people that cared.

Instead of rebounding strong, we came back angry. But we can change that. On behalf of every life taken September 11, we need to grow up and learn from it. We must dig deep, get off our complacent asses, and ask
tougher questions. Self-criticism is always difficult, always cleansing. While the world is teetering on madness, only our collective action can right the ship. Ask not what your country has done in your name,
ask what you can do in your country's name.

Citation

“tp70.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed November 4, 2024, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/751.