I don’t have mixed emotions over what happened that day but I do have very mixed emotions about what has gone on since 9/11/01.
Our country (America) is right back where we were before 9/11, actually we’re worse off. Our government “leaders” (they’re not really leaders because real leaders lead) are bickering and arguing more than ever. Our country is getting nowhere very quickly. Unemployment, education, infrastructure, Syria, on and on…nothing is better.
That being said, my life is better because I have chosen for it to be.
The question is, why do we all ramble on about “never forget” and all that when all we do is forget? It looks and sounds pretty when everyone posts crap on Facebook or Twitter about “remembering” or they sit around the water cooler at work talking about where they were on 9/11/01…but what are any of us REALLY doing?
Have you donated money to the families left behind?
Have you started volunteering more for other causes since 9/11?
Are you giving more?
Have you tried to spend more time being appreciative and positive?
Do you think about 9/11 on days other than 9/11?
Do you make an effort to connect more with people since 9/11?
Are you less driven by money today than you were back then? And more driven by giving and quality of life?
I am sure a lot of you have changed and that’s fantastic but for a majority of this country it is business as usual. That’s what I’m tired of…well… actually it pisses me off. I talk a big game too, but how much follow through am I actually doing? What more could we be doing?
It’s very easy to sit back and get cozy in our own little lives, trust me I know. That’s just it though, how happy are we? We complain about things yet do nothing to promote change. We “remember” 9/11/01 every 9/11 but what else?
I’m not saying that there is any one specific thing we need to do. I’m not saying anything we choose to do needs to be huge and monumental. In most cases it’s the little things…
Be more compassionate
Donate money to a cause of your choice on a regular basis or to the 9/11 Memorial fund
Be nicer to your neighbors
Help an old lady cross the street
Give food to a needy family
Tell someone you give a shit
Hell, even something like not buying so much crap…be more green
The point is to have a positive impact on this world, no matter how big or how small, that is so filled with negativity and greed. Do something.
Be a mentor
Be a Big Brother or Big Sister
Stop yelling at and beating your kids
Have one less negative thought per day
Anything!!
It’s too easy to fall into insignificance. It’s too easy to do whatever it takes to maintain the status quo…wake up. Let’s stop talking about how we “remember” and that we’ll “never forget” and really start doing something.
If you don’t have the money to help then donate your time. Volunteer at a food bank for a few hours per month.
I know this is a string of relatively random thoughts and ideas but my overarching point is that complacency is the enemy. Routine is the enemy. Let’s shake things up.
Do you have any ideas? Are you or have you been doing anything to raise the bar instead of lower it or maintain it?
I’ve never quoted myself before, but here is a blurb from a blog story I posted soon after the Boston Marathon tragedy. It sums up how I feel: Perhaps in the face of tragedy we might never find the answers we need, but we can always do what’s right. We can all keep doing whatever it is we do to make the world a better place. Each one of us knows what that is.