September 11, 2001, has become one of the most important days in American history. Twenty-five years ago today, 2,977 people were murdered by a group of 19 hijackers who took over four commercial flights and turned the planes into weapons.
The health effects following the attacks killed another 9,000 people, according to estimations, with the victims ranging from first responders to residents of downtown New York City. The world was shocked by the display of violence shown that tragic day, with multiple nations expressing their condolences to the United States.
Over 100 nations sent some type of condolences message to the U.S. embassies within their borders. These messages included newspapers, children’s drawings, flags, photographs and letters.
This kind of display of global empathy isn’t seen much in the world today. Twenty-five years ago, however, differences were put aside to mourn the attack on humanity that had taken place.
A headline that ran on a front-page editorial in the French newspaper Le Monde on Sept. 12, 2001, became synonymous with the tragic events of 9/11. The editorial was written by Jean-Marie Colombani and its headline read “We Are All Americans.”
The world felt the shockwave of the attacks and citizens around the globe related to the American people. Whether through individual personal trauma or collective events from the past, people across the world related to the grief and anger that Americans were experiencing.
Think about how united people were 25 years ago. Let’s start working toward building that kind of unity in today’s world.
A small cog can still change gears.
