Learn to Love

There are a lot of things in the world that are more unjust and profound that I could write about on a day like today. While most Americans will write about patriotism and pride or reference monumental historic events in my nation’s lifespan, I’m going to write about something just as important, in my opinion, and reflect in the fact that it might not make me any friends. It doesn't, however, make me any less of an American.

I will not even attempt to touch the impact of the events of 9/11 in detail and simply sum it up by saying that it is a severe tragedy and loss for our nation and its families.

The events of 9/11 were life shattering, tragic, devastating and never should have occurred. But before we start pointing fingers of blame at differences in race, politics, culture, religion and security we need to step back and realize what it all really means. It is my personal belief that 9/11 is one of many to come of the harsh consequences brought on by a sick and dying world. It was the final blowout of two brightly lit candles perched on the birthday cake of humanity’s failure. We’ve stopped loving one another.

It pains me to think that it took an act that colossal to make society stop in their tracks and start caring. While I’m not condoning the behavior of the terrorist by any means or their reason for doing what they did, the point I’m trying to make here is this: Terrorist acts occur in our everyday lives consistently whether big or small and we do nothing to stop them.

When we allow races to take knocks at each other, guns to fire, gangs to flourish, drugs to pass, improper content to be exposed to our innocent children, bombs to be dropped, pollution ignored, education commercialized, politics corrupted, prayer disabled, expression condensed, infidelity excused and the other examples in our lives that I could write a novel about, we participate, in terrorism.

Until humanity, not just Americans, start living with a sense of love for one another I’m afraid that the world as we know it will continue to grow dark with events like 9/11. To the generations living in this ill world, we can make a difference, the only cure is love.

Exercise it. Learn to Love.