Tragedy brings people together

Together, we are strong.

That was the lesson we learned on Sept. 11, 2001.

We proved something that we already knew, something that makes us hold out hands and hang on tight in a crisis. We rediscovered the idea that when we get past what divides us and work toward a common goal, there’s really nothing we can’t overcome.

On that day, that line in the historical sand, we proved that nothing was big enough to overcome that bond of togetherness when we put it first. Terrorists couldn’t do it. Hate couldn’t do it. Fire and death and unimaginable tons of rubble couldn’t do it.

All we had to do was get out of our own way, reach out, grab hold and do what needed to be done. And we did. There were no political parties or dividing lines among the first responders. No matter what the differences were on Sept. 10, 2001, everyone was equalized by the enormity of the events the next day.

Sixteen years later, we are seeing that proven once again.

This time, it’s not people who are striking at us. It’s not an ideology or a political movement. It’s nature.

We stepped up and reached out after Hurricane Harvey buried portions of Texas and Louisiana. Forces of volunteers are mobilizing to respond to Hurricane Irma. Donations are being collected. Money is being sent. We see that this is a situation bigger than red states or blue states, deeper than skin color, more than tax brackets.

We have found that we can move mountains when we must. We know we can do these things when tragedy strikes.

Now we need to work on doing them when it doesn’t.

This story was originally published September 10, 2017 at 11:00 PM with the headline "Tragedy brings people together."