Fagiddaboudit! Have we already forgotten 9/11?

I find it sad that we only think about 9/11 and how precious all of our lives are one day a year.  On 9/11/2001 our world changed but, only for a brief moment.  In that moment we became kind and caring.  We stopped honking horns and yelling at people to get out of the way.  We took life a little slower. Everyone was polite.  The motto “Never Forget” had become the rally cry.   

I’m sad and not just for those who lost their lives and the family members but, for those who forget 9/11 the other 364 days a year…myself included. 

• When the US still has a population the size of Canada that lives in poverty – we forget
• When there are children in the US that go to school hungry because they have no food in their house – we forget
• When an American man in a turban gets extra attention at the airport – we forget
• When Wall Street bankrupts America – we forget
• When a young black man coming home with his straight A’s from school gets “stopped and frisked” – we forget
• When a mom is asked to not breast feed in public – we forget
• When we spend more money on war than on education – we forget
• When Americans say “I’m not paying for my neighbor’s healthcare” – we forget
• When people pay more attention to a woman dancing on a stage and it gets more press than important world news – we forget
• When some people stand in line for hours to get the latest iPhone while others have to stand in line just to get food – we forget
• When there is no equality in marriage - we forget
• When people seethe with anger over petty things – we forget
• When an American citizen can’t vote because they don’t have to have a state ID – we forget
• When we allow our civil liberties to be violated in the name of security - we forget

Not to exclude myself – I forget, too

• When I blast drivers who cut in long lines of traffic – maybe they are late for a life changing event – I forget
• When I criticize helicopter parents – I forget
• When I roll my eyes and huff-n-puff over the person with a million questions as I wait behind them in line – I forget
• When I make a list of complaints about my life instead of counting my blessings– I forget

A zero-sum-game full of self-serving greed and hatred is still alive and well in our country.  For myself, I worry too much about what I want instead of focusing on what I have in my life.    

I’m sorry victims of 9/11 but I still don’t think we’ve learned a thing.

Feeling a little pessimistic today - perhaps, I need to go read Anne Frank, she found beauty in a sad time.  I'll find the beauty again and will remember to live life and give life - everyday.  If I forget...remind me!