9/11/01: Ancient History?

An entire generation of Americans has grown up since the events of September 11, 2001.  No need to go into the details of what happened that day if you're over the age of 25.  If you're not, then the words World Trade Center, Arab hijackers, Saddam Hussein, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Osama bin Laden doesn't mean much to you.

To today's students, all of what became known as 9/11 has been relegated to history books and You Tube.  Just like the Civil War, World War II, the Kennedys, civil rights, the Vietnam War and other touchstones of American history.  It shouldn't be.  Whether they know it or not, the spectre of 9/11 has dominated their childhoods.

We see it in long lines of security everywhere you go.  The war in Afghanistan is nearly two decades old, and the U.S. has yet to find a graceful way out.  Immigration to this country has deteriorated to the point where people fleeing wars, oppression and natural disasters are turned away at the border, just because our current leader thinks "very bad people" might be in the mix.

Recent generations, when they're not busy with their smart phones, are more concerned about making it to adulthood alive.  Not because of terrorist bombs, but because of lone gunmen with more firepower and nerve to take out every human within range.  African-Americans and others take to the streets and highways to protest white police officers who target people of color just because.  The biggest moment of their lives so far hasn't been planes taking down two skyscrapers.  It was the election of Donald Trump as President, which creates its own set of challenges.

Having seen what violence, political corruption, racism and the effects of climate change have done to this country, the youth of America are not taking things lying down.  They are holding rallies, facing down white supremacists, and electing more women to Congress than ever in recent history.  Even Muslim men and women of color, which would have been considered impossible in 2001.

The emotions over what happened in the rubble of the Twin Towers and the wars of revenge that followed in the fall of '01 and the spring of '03 has faded with time, but they shouldn't be forgotten.  It is up to everyone to make sure improving this country is the one thing that would honor the dead.