We live in a bubble; we are young and nothing can hurt us. We walk from class to class, we eat lunch in our cafeteria, we complain about the food. We laugh at each other’s jokes, we cry over our broken hearts, we smile when our hard work pays off and our chests swell when we’ve done something to be proud of.
We live in a country where nothing can go wrong and where nothing bad can happen. We watch the news, we see the bombings and shootings and warfare in other countries and we shrug our shoulders. Sure, it’s sad, but what can we do about it? All we can do is pray for those countries, show our remorse and be thankful that we live in a place where incidents like that are few and far between.
But when something does happen to us, we become livid. We protest in the cities closest to our campuses. We start Facebook pages and Twitter handles to support our cause and raise money. We make sure our voices are heard and we make sure that the world knows that what is happening to us is unacceptable. We get mad, we get angry and we want answers; we want to know what we did to deserve this.
Incidents like the attack of the World Trade Center and the Boston bombings become a real eye opener. It pulls on our heartstrings, and makes us ask why something like this is happening here, in America; the country that people emigrate to for a better life. These moments solidify the fact that we aren’t safe and that, yes, it can happen here and it can happen anywhere.
Twelve years ago, planes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City, and since that day, life got a lot harder. We realized we weren’t safe when nearly 3,000 people died, and we’re reminded frequently that that safety isn’t coming back. We’re reminded every time we have to board a plane, hands sweaty, as TSA pats us down. We’re reminded each time we hear the word “terrorist” or “bomb,” and feel that shiver of fear. We’re reminded every time we watch the news and hear reports on war in the Middle East. We’re reminded every day in the littlest of ways.
When disaster strikes, when that bubble of safety is popped, we pull together in a remarkable way. Communities come together and our differences are set aside. We become understanding, hardworking and friendly. Our innocence was taken twelve years ago, but we fight to get it back, to prove that we can overcome anything. We work together to do anything we can to help; we work to protect our country, because we are a country that can’t be held down.
