Piece by Piece

Eight years ago, the United States was attacked in one of the most horrifying acts of terrorism in recent memory. When Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the tragic attacks, Americans united, refusing to let the horrific acts of others define who we are as individuals and as a nation. Eight years later, however, one almost has to wonder if they didn't win at least a small victory.

I know that is going to be an unpopular sentiment for many so let me preface the rest of this by stating that I do not support what they did, I do not sympathize with their aims, goals or ideology or any such other thing some of the most vitriolic may feel inclined to toss at me.

I've heard from various corners this morning that we've resoundedly defeated those who would seek to divide us, to scare us, or to force their own ideology upon us through the use of terror. I'm simply not so sure that is true.

Certainly, after the attacks, we united not only as a country, but as individuals. We grieved together, got angry together, agreed nearly overwhelmingly to go to war together. But eight years later, we're as divided as ever, if not more so.

Somewhere along the way, we've lost sight of the fact that we're all Americans and have divided into camps. We're conservatives or liberals. Democrats or Republicans. Obama supporters or Obama haters. Our ideas are the only way and any other opinion comes from uneducated morons who secretly want to destroy the country. We either whole heartedly support the war efforts... or we're terrorist sympathizers who should move to another country. We're either discriminatory assholes or immoral jerk offs.

We've lost the ability to stand in the middle and to compromise for the good of all. While that may never have been the goal of those responsible for the attacks and their supporters... it seems they gain more from it than we do. We point to the fact that we haven't been attacked again as evidence that we're winning. But we ignore the fact that we're doing ourselves enough harm without their suicide bombers and terror plots. We can't seem to agree on anything at all... and we'll be damned before we agree to disagree or to work together.

Everyone says we'll never forget what happened on September 11th, 2001. And in a way, we never will. For those that were there, those burning towers will forever be in mind. But, in other important ways, we might as well have never watched the towers fall. Because we have forgotten.

We've forgotten what we learned in the days and weeks and months immediately following the attacks. We've forgotten how to stand united and how to work with those who differ from those like us. We've forgotten how to put the bickering aside and find solutions. We've forgotten how to stop flinging insults and start listening. We've forgotten that we've rarely ever overwhelmingly agreed... and we've forgotten how to get the work done despite the lack of agreement. In short, we've forgotten what it means to be American.

Maybe that wasn't the goal of those attacks. But, it wasn't what we promised ourselves when the dust settled either. We've become so caught up in who is right that we ignore that we're all losing here. And sadly, we will continue to lose.

Not because we'll give in to terror. Not because terror will force us to it. But because eight years later, we've already forgotten one of the most important lessons we have ever learned.

No enemy is as big a threat to our way of life than we our ourselves. They can bomb us and they can torture us. But the only people capable of breaking the spirit of the American people are the American people themselves.

And more and more every day, it becomes evident that we're too caught up in being "us" and "them" and picking at the threads to even realize that we're doing to ourselves what Al-Qaeda never could.

We're tearing ourselves apart. Piece by piece and bit by bit. And unlike eight years ago... we're too busy being the enemy to be a country.

So today, in addition to remembering those who died during the attacks and have died since, I'm remembering the spirit we've lost. And more and more... I'm praying that we stop fighting each other and start fighting for each other. Because as we learned long ago; few will stand up and fight for those who are too involved in fighting amongst themselves.