Learning from Tragedy: Lessons from 9/11 in the Era of COVID-19
Every year on September 11, our nation pauses for a morning of collective remembrance for the 2,977 lives that were lost in the deadliest terrorist attack in human history. This year, September 11, 2021, carries special significance as it will mark the 20th anniversary since America was forever changed.
This year’s tribute to the victims of the September 11 attacks comes at a crossroads in our nation’s history. The United States has suffered more than 652,000 deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic, with some single-day death tolls exceeding that of 9/11. Our country is more divided and infuriated than ever — a recent CNN poll found that 74% of Americans said they are at least somewhat angry about things in the country today. We have become numb to the collective grief or country has experienced over the last 18+ months and despite us having the tools to prevent future suffering, we have failed to unite the nation against one common enemy: the virus.
I am among the generation of those born in the shadows of 9/11; I was just over the age of two when the towers fell. My memories from September 11, 2001 are made up of anecdotes from parents, family members and friends. My father worked in Lower Manhattan and was able to leave the scene by walking north until he could find a taxi. I have friends who were not as lucky. Many have loved ones who perished in and around the towers. Every year growing up my family used to sit and watch as every name of the dead was read. A bell at 8:46 to mark the first plane hitting the North Tower. Another bell at 9:03 to mark the second plane hitting the South Tower.
For the last few years, I have had the privilege to visit the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and believe all members of my generation should do the same. We must educate ourselves and pay tribute to the heroes of the day — those who were not afraid to put themselves in danger to save others. Those who showed courage on United Airlines Flight 93 and prevented an even greater American tragedy. Those first responders who still suffer long-term health consequences.
We are currently in the middle of the greatest pandemic of our lifetime, and while these two disasters are of different natures, we can recognize some similarities. This pandemic will likely fundamentally change the way we live and work, as it was for air travel following September 11. Like the millions of Americans who are suffering from long-term symptoms from COVID-19, many first responders still feel betrayed due to an inability on behalf of the government and other agencies to provide care. Both of these events have contributed to the way our national psyche processes the deaths of thousands of our fellow countrymen.
However, we see differences in the way our nation has come together, or in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, failed to do so. The days, weeks and months following September 11 brought unprecedented national unity. It was a time that Americans understood they needed to make sacrifices for a greater good. As the nation battles yet another COVID-19 surge, this one defined by the outright refusal of some to take a life-saving vaccine, our desire to protect one another has waned and has been replaced by division and poisoned politics. There are too many of us that see an other rather than a brother. While we once honored first responders by banging pots and pans each night, our nation’s failure to step up and get vaccinated has led to healthcare worker burnout and nursing shortages. A toxic dust cloud which once filled the sky over Lower Manhattan now exists in another virtual form: the plague of misinformation online. We have lost our focus and have failed to exhibit the collective resolve our nation saw in 2001.
In the aftermath of disasters, humans are often led to build resilient communities. As President Biden said yesterday, “at our most vulnerable, in the push and pull of all that makes us human, in the battle for the soul of America, unity is our greatest strength.” After months of loss, I believe that we can still rise to this challenge and build back better. We honor what was lost, but we also commemorate what we’ve found. Following 9/11, some saw baseball as a powerful healing force in our country. Others have remembered lost loved ones through watching home videos and strengthening family ties. And of course, no one can forget the generosity shown by hundreds in Gander, Newfoundland, who opened their doors to thousands of diverted airline passengers and whose stories are portrayed in the Broadway musical “Come From Away.”
As a native New Yorker now living in our nation’s capital, I believe all of us have a role to play when it comes to remembering these two national tragedies: the September 11 attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic. We must never forget the stories of all who were killed on September 11, 2001, and we must take a moment to acknowledge the loss of over 652,000 families who have an empty seat at the dinner table. The strength of this nation is being tested once again, and it is up to all of us to write its next chapter.
