How 9/11 Should Be Remembered

Hard to believe it's been eight years. Everyone of course remembers where they were when they heard the news and if only we could forget the atrocities that were commited afterwards in the names of the victims. We still live with the effects of those to this day.

The victims get memorialized every year in various ceremonies but few pay any tribute to the survivors. It seemed like almost the entire country collectively wet their pants and went into a cowering cringe, ready to give up any collective freedom to regain their sense of security again, but New Yorkers refused to be terrorized by the thugs that plunged their city into chaos. They worked together to restore order. As the author of this article, which should be read in full and from whence I stole the title of this post, put it:

New Yorkers triumphed on that day eight years ago. They triumphed in calm, in strength, in generosity, in improvisation, in kindness. Nor was this something specific to that time or place: San Franciscans during the great earthquake of 1906, Londoners during the Blitz in World War II, the great majority of New Orleanians after Hurricane Katrina hit, in fact most people in most disasters in most places have behaved with just this sort of grace and dignity.

As we've moved past the national fear, there's now an annual debate on how best to honor the victims of 9/11 without exploiting them. I'm thinking the most appropriate tribute to the victims and the best way to honor the spirit of NYers on that day is to do something nice for a complete stranger on its anniversary. Just because we're all humans on Earth and for good or ill, we're in this together.

[More posts daily at The Detroit News]