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Yes, you’re right. 9/11 is about fear. I worked two blocks away from the towers, and had to walk home. I had co-workers terrified they wouldn’t be able to get home to their children. Everyone was afraid.

America is very lucky – since the Civil war, we haven’t had many major wars or battles or attacks on our soil, especially mainland soil. And maybe we got lazy, and sloppy, pretending that our enemies couldn’t really hurt us. 9/11 taught us what most nations on earth knew – we were wrong. Violence and terrorism are real, dangerous, and good people die. And I’d like to think that at least mentally, we are better prepared than we were on 9/10/01.

So if you don’t mind, I’ll continue to think that the way to spend 9/11 in better service to your country than a day of volunteering, is to spend it remembering:

that at the blink of an eye, it can be taken away;
that there are people out there who don’t know me, but would kill me if it serves their point or cause; and
that I am one of the luckiest people on the face of the planet – I was born free, and can live free because for all of their racism, sexism, homophobia and other sins, and all of their faults, generations of men have been willing to die to give me that chance; and
that one day, I may be called on to do the same, and can only pray that I find the courage to do so.

Yes, I am afraid of terrorists. I am afraid of losing American tolerance. I am afaid of many things. Being afraid isn’t a bad thing – it means you have something to lose.