9/11: May We Never Forget

September 11, 2001. A date that I hope we may never forget.

Though the events on that day will never fully go away, each year the raw feelings fade. Each year they get a little dimmer.

How can we preserve the history, and lessons, from 9/11? My answer is A MUSEUM. That is why I am happy that the 9/11 Memorial and MUSEUM exists. A museum is needed to preserve the artifacts, stories, lessons of that day. Museums also serve as a foundation where dialogue can happen to not only remember the events but to also learn and improve for the future. Museums remind us that the past is never just in the past, but it follows us to the present and to the future.

Today I was listening to commentary/remembrance programs about 9/11 and I was shocked when the commentators said that people are alive today that were not around when 9/11 happened. I know that this is true and I should not be shocked, but I was surprised because I realized that they don’t have the same connection to the date as I do. They do not remember a world prior to the attacks.

This is just another example of why the 9/11 museum is important: to make sure future generations know about how significant that date was and continues to be.

Again, a museum in a perfect place to preserve artifacts and stories from the event. I can’t help but think of WWII as an example. People thought ahead and captured video and interviews of people who were involved and/or affected by the war. Because of this forward thinking, generations to come will have first had accounts of WWII even after those who were alive then are no longer alive. It is the same with 9/11: there will come a time when no one is alive who was alive at the time of the attacks. Preserving the history now makes sure it will last for as long as possible.

May we never forget.