9/11 and the human condition...

September 11th has come and it has gone. I have waited until today to make my post about the events of that day 7 years and 1 day ago until today because I wanted to see the reaction and response of our country.

When the fallout from 9/11 happened there was an outcry from those who lived through Pearl Harbor. They suggested that we, Americans, had forgotten Pear Harbor and that had left us vulnerable and open to the attack we received on 9/11.

We lost over 2400 soldiers on December 7, 1941 in the attack on Pearl Harbor compared to over 2900 civilians on September 11, 2001 in the attack on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Both of these attacks being very serious and coming at a great expense to our country but 9/11 was focused on American civilians. The question remains, have we forgotten the loss resulting of Pearl Harbor and 9/11?

If I had to be totally honest...I would say that we as Americans have largely forgotten. Not to say that there weren't several meaningful remembrances that took place yesterday, there were. Major League Baseball issued special hats in remembrance, there were some nice political remembrances done at the site of the attack, and there were several televised tributes made. Still, I can't fight my feeling that these remembrances were largely token. Don't get me wrong I'm not innocent of the same sentiments. I forgot about 9/11 until September 10th when I was reminded by a text message that read, "don't forget."

I believe that our inclination to forget is much more deeply rooted than just our American culture and society. I believe that it is rooted in a common human condition we all have, good old selfish human nature. I am reminded of the most significant thing in my life at this moment. That is the reality that Jesus gave his life for me so that I could truly live. I pray that my "good old selfish human nature" wouldn't allow me to forget the most important event in history, the death and Resurrection of Christ.

My plea is one of remembrance on a daily basis. Let us not forget what Christ has done for us so that we don't get caught in the habit of token remembrances that lack any true relationship. He died for you and he died for me, now lets live like we remember his death. May we let our lives be a daily remembrance to the world that we have not forgotten the death and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior.