Tragedy is one of those words that is commonly used in the wrong context. Death is a part of life. While it can be a terrible experience for those who are impacted by it, it’s typically not a tragedy.

That being said, there are moments in our lives that cause great suffering. A suffering that we share with people we have never met. A pain that runs as wide as it does deep.

These moments are catastrophic events. They cause a ripple effect that lasts through time and that we can pass on to the next generation. There is a huge difference though, in experiencing a tragedy and simply reading about it years later.

Tragedies are palpable, it’s something that you can feel throughout your whole body. They are times where great distress can be afflicted on the masses.

We as a world have suffered many tragedies over the span of our existence on this Earth. Some of them are unfathomable. My nation had a specific moment that caused us great pain and loss.

This offered us a crossroads, both independently and communally.

18 years ago we were offered a choice as people and a nation. To feed into the fear and terror that was thrust upon us, or to band together under one flag and push forward. To try and strive as a nation and to help those who were directly affected by this truly tragic event.

I write this not to bring up political standpoints, theories of what might or might not have been the cause of this catastrophe or even my own personal views.

I write this in honor of those who lost their lives and those who sacrificed their lives in the pursuit to save any and all that they could.

I bow my head in somber remembrance to the men, women and children we lost on September, 11th 2001.