I’m so sad today. So angry. And so appalled that we aren’t further along as a nation. Today we’re remembering something horrific and we’re examining all the angles. The good. The bad. The unjust. The miraculous. The terrifying. The evil. We’re sharing memories and telling our stories from all different sides and guess what, we’re doing it without hurting and unfriending and bullying and villainizing each other!
Yet we’re destroying history and tearing apart this nation, and our families, and our friendships, and so much more, on all the other days. I have no idea why we do it. Is it because we weren’t there? That we can’t truly know because it didn’t happen to us so any opinion might work? Is that it? Might we all just be arm-chair quarterbacks to events in history that we really don’t know that much about? That we really don’t understand yet somehow we’ve formed these huge opinions about so we result to the lowest form of our humanity—unchecked emotion--when someone questions that opinion? Look around you, friends. The machine is on tilt.
I think of all days today is a good one to look inside ourselves. Are we really educated about what we profess to defend or did we just read an article, or listen to a podcast, or catch a news blip and grab a sound bite so we could try to have a seat at the table? Did you try to verify what you heard, or saw, or think you learned? Did you examine the other side to broaden your knowledge? I encourage you to remember that no sheet is paper is so thin that it doesn’t have two sides.
How about we go for less media and more intellectual study? How about learning about all of the bad days in our history instead of laughing at a few memes of whatever topic is snagging it's fifteen minutes of fame and jumping on the nearest band wagon? How about taking the best, of our history and our people, and working to change the worst? Why, oh why, are we no further along?
Think about how you feel today and then think about this. If we don’t change our course, one day someone won’t like an aspect of the events of 9/11 and they’ll erase it from the books. Gone will be any trace and while it will make sense to a few at the time, is that right? One day, there will be no one left alive on this planet who remembers the stories from today. Stories like this one. Did you even know this happened? If you aren’t okay with this being erased one day? If that thought stirs something painful in your chest? Then you need to back up and search for knowledge over a Cliff Notes version of what you think you know about whatever it is you’ve hating on or hanging on to.
I’m a historian and while I don’t like much of what I learn about us, that big collective group of humans I study, I love other parts us and as a result, I refuse to re-write us or accept that notion. I want every story, every mistake, every heartbreak, every miracle. I want every horror, every defeat, every victory, and every act of compassion to be known. I want them all. I want them so we can learn from them. I never want to forget our best. I never want to forget our worst. The only way we can truly live is to know and not be afraid of what the knowledge brings. Everyone has a little hero in them so trust me, you can handle the truth. If you can't, don't worry. I'll walk through whatever it is right alongside you. And then you can use that little bit of hero to learn and do better. #NeverReWrite #NeverForget
