9/11, Essay Example

The concept of war at home was almost non-existent to me before 9/11. I used to believe U.S. is almost invulnerable but the events of 9/11 changed my opinion. That was also the first time I realized that that the nature of enemy has changed and instead of wars between sovereign states, the new battles will be between two sets of ideologies. As I saw the twin towers collapsing on the television screen as well as the expressions of shock on the faces of bystanders, it seemed as if it was Middle East and not America. Even before 9/11, I was used to seeing images of violence in the media but never before had images such a powerful emotional impact on me. I found myself surprised at this fact and as I thought more about it, I realized that most of us usually display a greater degree of insensitivity to events that do not personally affect us or those related to us.

The events of 9/11 also inspired me to become more engaged with national and global politics. I even thought of joining the military in the future because I knew we couldn’t take the security of our people for granted for which our ancestors had worked so hard. It was probably for the first time I was motivated to put the interests of the country over my own interests. But more than anything else, it changed my views about America. I saw a display of patriotism among Americans that I had never seen before. America didn’t seem like United States of America but instead ‘United America’ as if all fifty states had forsaken their geographical and cultural boundaries to become one single nation. There was no Texan, Virginian, or Alaskan etc. but only American. It is ironical how tragedies unite a nation better than anything else.