Twenty-Five Years… Do you remember your 25th birthday? Your 25th wedding anniversary? Or perhaps 25 years with your employer? Enough time for a baby to become an adult with children of their own.
It really has been 25 years.
I recall the morning of 09/11/01. Who doesn’t? We all remember where we were at these moments. The phone rang. The voice on the other end said, “Turn on the TV – you’re never going to believe this!!!” The person, in so many words, said a jet had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. We turned on the TV just in time to see United impact Tower Two.
Shock and utter disbelief. This really was happening to us.
NBC kept running the footage over and over. It sank in quickly. With the second jet, there could be no doubt. In a matter of minutes, there was a big fire at the Pentagon. It was no normal fire. We were under attack.
We probably didn’t understand then, but our lives were about to change.
We’ve grown up in a cocoon since the end of World War II – a mighty nation the world has looked to ever since for strength, safety, and security.
We don’t live in that nation anymore.
While we’ve been a safe haven, we’ve also been complacent – smug – full of ourselves. Ever since the war ended and we claimed victory in two theatres a world apart, with unwavering, committed help from our allies, we’ve been comfy cozy in our easy chairs, naively believing no one would dare attack us.
This is what I’ve always believed.
How naive…
There have been scary moments – the final wrap-up of World War II, the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War – and then September 11th…
Despite the horrifying moments of September 11th, we’ve always believed we could make it through. Hope springs eternal.
We still have a lot to learn.
In the post-war years, our government built the mightiest military in the world. We were going to be first on the lunar surface – and were. We’ve done great things for mankind – disease control, human rights, safe communities, law enforcement, education, and provided a safe place for the poor and huddled masses.
What happened?
Complacency and foolishness. That’s what happened.
We lifted… The rise and fall of the Roman Empire.
Smart, cognoscente societies never lift. They don’t prop up their feet and coast. They continue in their tenacious efforts to improve. They get better.
When I think of societies with better government and a higher quality of life, I think countries that enjoy a better environment than we do in the United States. Oh sure – taxes are high – but citizens never have to worry about health care or losing their homes because they can’t pay medical bills. Their communities are neat and clean – well maintained. Countries with responsible government never have to fear collapse because they’re always on top of it. Corruption is rare or unheard of.
Life in the United States has been an education in advanced citizenship. Our original blueprint of “All Men Are Created Equal…” was a start but has always been a work in progress. Human rights have always been at the leading edge of the advancement of the U.S. Constitution. A woman’s right to vote. The Black vote. The Civil Rights Act. The Equal Rights Amendment. The Voting Rights Act. And more… Always a work in progress – and that’s what we’ve always been.
Slow but steady.
We’ve learned a bitter lesson from the events of September 11, 2001. A friend of mine, who was killed in a motorcycle accident in the 1990s, used to say “Never Lift…” His words were important ones to live by. Never stop reaching for higher. Always review the way you are doing things and ask yourself how you can do better.
Somewhere along the way, we stopped asking ourselves how we can do better as Americans. We took our eye off the ball and lost it to the competition’s touchdown. The free world has passed us up. Nowhere was this more apparent than on the morning of September 11th. Our nation’s defense was caught off guard, with a defense system so complacent that it couldn’t believe we were under attack.
We lifted…
When we were very young during the Cold War, our nation’s defense was on top of its game – with a system ready to take on any threat. During the Kennedy era, we had leadership with an all or nothing approach to the threat of an attack. At the time, the Soviet Union was our greatest threat. In the years to follow, we cultivated more enemies, with a rather cocky approach to the threats. Naive at best, coming from a military force that had always been in high regard.
I have always believed in AMERICA and will never lift on that belief. As free Americans – we can never lift on our defense of freedom and liberty. We have to get out of our easy chairs and do it. It is my hope we can find a path to recovery and the greatness we once had.
Boomer Journey... 