A Backward Way of Thinking

I didn’t come up with this title—it was plastered all over promotional items in the gift shop at the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York City. But what a concept it is. And NYC may very well be the best example of love over hate that I have personally experienced in my lifetime.

Growing up, I had always found NYC to be a harsh environment. The people seemed unfriendly and unhelpful, avoided eye contact, and rarely smiled as they went about their busy lives, speeding up and down the streets. But when I visited just a couple of years after 9/11, I noticed a huge difference. People saw you. They looked around, kept track of one another, helped each other cross the street, smiled, and seemed to genuinely care—even for the homeless.

I remember thinking what a beautiful outcome it was from such a tragic experience. After all, NYC was the heart of the attack on America. Thousands of lives were lost, businesses destroyed, families torn apart. It took years to rebuild, and nothing would ever be the same again. To my great surprise, 25 years later, you can still feel the warmth. People still smile, speak with one another, help each other, and show genuine care.

The idea that they refused to let such a tragic event turn them into hateful people is remarkable, to say the least. If only we could follow in their footsteps—stop pointing fingers, stop condemning, and instead, stand together. Let’s learn to survive the unimaginable and still choose love.

Currently, our country is deep into an internal battle that seems like it may cause us to implode—Red against Blue, men against women, old against young, Black against White, religion against religion. Our flag of unity is tearing at every seam. What would it take for us to come together again? Can we ever change our backward ways of thinking? We don’t have to agree on everything—we just need to get back to a place of respect, care, and concern for others… a place of true humanity.