As September continues, we are once again reminded of the continuous tragic events in the United States. These are events that will forever leave a mark on history. But why does it take such a tragic event to bring families, cities, states, and even countries together? Especially now, with our nation so divided.
On September 11th, 2001 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial planes, two hitting the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in NY and one hitting the Pentagon in VA.
After this event, the community was brought together closer than it had ever been. Volunteers gathered to assist, started funding charities, came together in worship, and provided sympathy and compassion to grieving people.
School violence is another example of tragic events that forever shape history. Blog Youth Today states “During the 2021–22 school year, about 857,500 violent incidents and 479,500 nonviolent incidents were recorded by U.S. public schools. Sixty-seven percent of schools reported having at least one violent incident, and 59 percent reported having at least one nonviolent incident.”
The communities come together in these circumstances too. After the 2023 Uvalde shooting, the community urged for more gun laws, donations to the families were given, and schools and other places have been offering better mental health care options for families grieving.
While we hope there aren’t any more tragedies, events like this bring the best out of everyone. Whether people are simply uplifting others, volunteering, making donations, or helping in any other way, communities put aside all differences and come together as one, to pick up the pieces and encourage and revive one another through these times. So, as a community, how can we do this more often without going through a tragic event such as 9/11 or a school shooting?
