Patriots Day

Eight years ago today I'm sure you all remember where you were and what you were doing, it's one of those moments in time that is forever ingrained on our memories. Which is a very good thing, it's perhaps one of the only things that seem to bind all of us Americans together quite solidly any longer.

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11 everyone in this country was truly upset and up in arms- we couldn't let such an affront to decency stand, could we? We just weren't sure who we were supposed to me mad at. In time we put the blame were it was supposed to be, and got on with living with a new world order. Our lives have changed almost imperceptibly since then, but we do tend to have this tiny little grain of understanding that we didn't have before - we have seen true evil and are all the sadder because of it. This is an evil that the majority of good, kind, loving people would rather not ever be exposed to, but we have had no choice but to see it and experience it first hand. The average Americans life has honestly changed little since then.

These days there is precious little to unite these United States of America, we are more divided than ever it seems. A week ago it would have seemed impossible to have our standing President being heckled by the very government body that he is the head of, but it happened. Our good manners and civility seem to have vanished when the World Trade Center did. One thing that I hope that never vanishes is our sense of purpose and morality-and our sense of pride and gratitude. These days most folks think it's corny to espouse any ethnocentrism for our very own country, but when it comes right down to it we really need to. There is absolutely no reason not to- America is still 'the land of the free and the home of the brave' in every sense of the word. We are still a beacon of hope to many disadvantaged people throughout the world.

Even after living through the nightmare of 9/11 we are growing more and more out of touch with our own country, our own history. I hope that going forward from now on this newly coined Patriot's Day will be used by Americans to pause for a moment to remember those that have gone before us to pave the way for us, and be grateful for the sacrifices they have made, be they civilian or soldier. The ideals that embody Patriot's Day are the very same ideals that our country was founded on, and they should continue to be lived day in and day out from now on.