By Billy Finnegan, Columnist
Since the horror of the terrorist attacks and the fall of the Twin Towers, September 11th has become the most tragic day in American history. For many of us, it is a day to remember those we lost, those who our friends and family lost, or just to commemorate the three thousand individuals who lost their lives that horrible day. It is a day that evokes a rush of emotion for all of us. We feel saddened at our losses, grateful for what we have, petrified at how the world could come to such a thing, and proud that we, as a nation, have stood up in the face of these terrorist acts and refused to be broken by this terror.
This year, like the past several years, I felt all of those emotions throughout the day, but I also felt a new, unwelcome addition: disgust. It was a shocking feeling, something I had never expected to feel on the anniversary of so much suffering and death. Still, as much as I was shocked, I couldn't help but to feel disappointed in our nation, just a little bit, on September 11th, 2010.
What was so different this year? Of course, it relates to the latest controversy New York has to offer: the Islamic cultural center located just two short blocks away from Ground Zero. What about this building could make me feel disgust for America on September 11th? I don't feel strongly either way on the issue, so what could possibly have me so shamed by Americans on a day of American mourning? September 11th, 2010 was the first time since the attacks where the bombings became secondary to personal agenda.
For the ninth anniversary of this tragedy, instead of remembering those who died, instead of unifying as a nation in the face of adversity, we protested, on different sides, whether or not a building gets converted into a cultural center. Those who were lost became a sideshow to this. Both sides of the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" controversy are guilty of this. Both sides were disrespectful and irresponsible enough to take this day and pervert it.
September 11th is about two things for this country. Firstly, it is about never forgetting the unspeakable evils of the world. It is a painful reminder that the world has these disasters, and that we all have the capacity to suffer. It is an even more painful reminder of what we lost that day, of the nightmare that came to life as so many people wondered if their loved ones were harmed, as so many people lost their lives. It is a day to honor those who perished.
Secondly, September 11th is to show the world that united we stand. Not since Pearl Harbor had America united so rapidly. The attack did not break us, as the hijackers hoped it would, it unified us. Every American stood together, regardless of anything else. We stayed like that for the coming months, and, until now, for at least that one day, we had been able to put aside our differences. That changed with this year.
The protests on the anniversary bring us to disregarding the departed and sacrificing our unity. By being incapable of holding off for one day, we have broken. We are beginning to forget what happened that day, to lose sight of what is important. We divided ourselves on the day where unity is most important, and for what? To not give the dead their proper respects. We lost some of our strength this past 9/11.
We gained disgust.