Most Americans tend to have a short attention span. Today’s important news often is quickly overshadowed by the latest nonsense posing as news that, for some inexplicable reason, captures the nation’s attention.
Some events are of such a magnitude that they remain seared in our memories, though. The attack at Pearl Harbor. Troops storming the beaches at Normandy. The fall of Saigon. And the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
For those old enough to understand what was happening that fateful day 22 years ago, when terrorists hijacked four planes — two of them brought down the World Trade Center, one smashed into the Pentagon and the fourth crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers rose up against the terrorists — those events will forever be imprinted in our minds.
But for many younger people — those under, say, 25 years of age — 9/11 is, at best, a vague recollection of events that seemed to shock adults around them to the core. For even younger Americans, the attack on our nation is mere history.
We must remember the sense of purpose and unity we had following Sept. 11, 2001. We must remember what brings us together as Americans — not what drives us apart. We must lift one another up instead of tearing each other down. Let us come together today to start that process.
Read More: Our opinion: Together, we remember 9/11 | News, Sports, Jobs