Why did 9/11 feel different this year?
My friend, who immigrated to the US in her 20s, recently told me the pledge of allegiance always sounded odd to her- the way everyone recited it in that monotonous tone, it felt to her like a kind of brainwashing ritual (I'm paraphrasing-- she loves America and her tone was more curious than derisive).
What is "the republic, for which it stands"? What is an American? Who are our allies and enemies? On September 11, 2001, we knew. Today, not so much.
America's 250th birthday felt underwhelming compared to this year's 9/11 anniversary, I think, because it feels like there is little to celebrate and much to grieve. We grieve the nearly 3,000 American lives lost that, but also, I think, a sense of clarity— that *of course* we would raise the flag over the rubble, and we would salute it. Not because reason or logic told us to, but because we are Americans and that's what we do.
The pledge isn't just a collection of words to rattle off before the school bell rings. It's a part of a larger education in civics. The passengers on United flight 93 understood this. They gathered to discuss what their options, and they took a vote on whether or not to storm the cockpit. They knew that democracy, citizenship, and "the republic, for which it stands" were not abstractions.
I think 9/11 hurts more this year because we have been asked to never forget and we have failed. We have forgotten that we are human beings who belong to each other, who belong to a history, a tradition, and yes—to one nation, under God.