The following is an essay I just dug up after talking to a few people about it. I wrote it in October of 2001, about a month after the attack I think. I think it sort of captured the feeling of the time. When I wrote it, I did not intent it to be patriotic wankfest. While everyone around me was doing so, as fiercely as I beleive in the ideas America was founded on, I was worried that the feeling was hollow. It's not the best example of my writing as it's a few years old, but I don't want to edit it because of the context it was written in. I think it might lose something. In any case, just read it, and think about just where we are in the world, and the responsibilities that our generation has on it's shoulders. So without further ado...

Patriotism After Terror
By, Nathan Pritchard
10/14/04

Uncertainty and purpose, two of the many human states that come along with war. After what was undoubtedly the worst attack on our great nation since the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, the uncertainty of a war against terror encompasses all. Every plane, every city, every letter you receive in the mail comes with the newly realized possibility of death. The people who are behind this tragedy aimed for this fear, instilled into every aspect of a daily American life. However, we should realize that these attacks have also brought with them another thing, a thing that America and her citizens have needed for the longest time, a purpose, a reason. We, as a nation, have been shook the very core, some would say brought to our knees, but we are still alive. And if the old saying holds true, what doesn’t kill us will make us stronger.

For too long America wallowed in complacency, we were content, we were fat, we were safe. When the first plane hit the World Trade Center, it was a tragedy, an accident. Surely, this event was not an attack, because we are Americans, and we cannot be attacked! Had the events of that fateful day ended there, we may still be living under that false impression. But the instant the second plane impacted all previous notions of our world were shattered, and came crashing down. At first there was shock, and among fellow high school students, disbelief. Then came more reports, the Pentagon was a victim also, it was in flames. Our country was in a state of emergency, thousands dead, travel stopped, business ground to a halt. The whole world stood and watched, some crying, some staring, some bleeding, and surely somewhere there were some pompous fools laughing to themselves in a state of false superiority.

It was when the nation realized what had happened, and the shock wore off, that we as Americans truly began to shine. We were no longer safe, but we were mad, angry to the point of breaking, we were ready for war. Again, the planes filled the skies, the stock market opened, and the malls slowly but surely filled with shoppers. But something was changed, something for the better, and something for the worst. American flags flew throughout the country, in more abundance than had ever been seen in the memory of any teenager today. We sang patriotic songs, listened to the news that kept coming in, and ignored the frivolous drivel that had before been the norm. America had been awakened, we no longer would be selfish and uncaring for the world, because we had seen what that lead to, and we would never let it happen again.

But behind all of the waving of flags and the singing of songs, the scourge of uncertainty still lurked. And as we began to come down from the adrenaline rush of anger, thoughts of the old America crept into our head. We were still afraid, we were determined but afraid. Talk of draft dodging and the surrender of freedoms for the name of safety floated around. Should we allow all of our phones to be tapped? Will a National ID Card solve the problem? Why should we allow immigration to continue? For each one of these questions there is a simple answer, the great Benjamin Franklin said it best when he stated “Any person who would give up a piece of their liberty for a little temporary security deserves neither liberty nor saftey.” America stands for freedom, let us have it. America stands for democracy across the world, give it to the world. Let all the humans on this great planet share our ideals, do not push them away. We as citizens must forge ahead, putting our all into ridding the world of terror and oppression. Through that we must not be blinded by fear. It is time for our great republic to rise once more and defend her beliefs, both at home and abroad.

Uncertainty and fear will be the two greatest enemies we shall face in the coming war, not terrorists, or Osama Bin Laden, or Saddam Hussein. For if we loose our determination before the job is done, then all is lost. Leaving this job unfinished is akin to signing our country’s death warrant. We must all pray that every single American will follow the path of freedom, and uphold the terms set forth by our President, that every terrorist, and every sympathizer must be dealt with. This means not simple bombing and invading, but also rebuilding and teaching. For years the Middle East has been under the fist of dictatorship, and blinded by a false perversion of a great religion taught by those who hate democracy and freedom. It is time that this came to an end, but how? This final question is the reason we must be forever vigilant, because there is no definitive and swift answer. We must not give an inch of ground, nor an ounce of freedom, we must stay the course and finish the job that has been left undone for decades, if not centuries.

We as Americans have truly become a greater people in the past month, and the fact that America is the greatest country on Earth has never been clearer. The events of the future are to be solved by the next generation of Americans, today’s teenager. But are we up to the challenge? Are we truly patriotic enough to take on this gargantuan responsibility? The answer will come only with time, and it is up to us to strive for our country and make certain that the idea of America is never tarnished, nor forgotten.

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Originally posted by DrStrangelove:
We as Americans have truly become a greater people in the past month, and the fact that America is the greatest country on Earth has never been clearer. The events of the future are to be solved by the next generation of Americans, today’s teenager. But are we up to the challenge? Are we truly patriotic enough to take on this gargantuan responsibility? The answer will come only with time, and it is up to us to strive for our country and make certain that the idea of America is never tarnished, nor forgotten.

I think it is very well written, but I've got one question, why is the US the greatest country on Earth?(because I assume you still think that)

All this attack brought was unity, yet insanity.

Also, I saw this episode of the Twilight Zone recently (the new ones, not the ones from the 60s), and it was about this neighborhood, in which a quiet family just moved into this. The episode was shot in 2001, so, terrorism was still in everyone's minds. Anyways, the people in the neighborhood grew very suspicious of the new neighbors. They even accused them of being terrorists without any solid proof. At the end of the episode, the older neighbors lit the new neighbor's house on fire (with the family inside), trying to kill them because "they were terrorists". Then, like some sort of military base is show overlooking the event, saying something on how the original neighbors were the terrorists.

I think this is what happened. 9/11 drove Americans into a wave of huge fear, still remaining, that brought great stupidity, such as the sudden war in Iraq in which no one truly knows why it even started, and has showed their cowardly side in a way. Also, the Patriot Act was brought in, and many of its victims are Muslims or even Hispanics, proving that 9/11 has made Americans fear so much they have even turned in themselves and are finishing themselves off.

The essay was very well written, although I personally feel that it, like a lot of things written around the time, exaggerated the implications of 9/11 in order to invoke a deeper emotional response.

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Originally posted by bauhaus:
come on man.... 4 years ago... let it go.

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It was a turning point in American politics, military policy, economics, paranoia, and in many regards, everyday life. In cases like this it's ok to look back and see how our emotions and conceptions have changed or been solidified since then.

come on man.... 4 years ago... let it go.