I’ll bet everyone over age 21 in United States today knows exactly where they were at 9 a.m. EDT ten years ago this morning. I know I sure do. And well I remember the gut-wrenching, horrific fear that took away my naive belief in personal security and safety within our country forevermore.
That morning, the majority of adolescent boys in my US History class wanted to go blast all the “sand-dwellers,” as they referred to those living in the Middle East, off the face of the earth. It was what we call a “teachable moment,” and I grabbed it.
Lest we forget, all Germans were not Nazis, and all Muslims are not terrorists. And, while we’re at it, all Christians are not living a Christ-like existence, either.
Respect for all living things, acceptance of different cultures and unfamiliar customs, begins at home. Tolerance must be our creed. Imagine what would happen if we all adhered to The Golden Rule, which appears in some form in every culture on earth: To treat others as we wish to be treated.
As Gandhi told us, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”