It is hard to believe that it has been 5 years since the tragic events of 9/11. My daughter was not even born and now she starts Preschool. I tend to pick out little obscure things in life, thus my wife says I'm full of useless information. But, I was watching a large group of people bowing their heads in silence around Ground Zero and I noticed something.
There was a street vendor of Middle Eastern descent, running a hotdog cart. Americans have always had a knack for filling a void. America has long been a melting pot based on the principle of melting together all the best from many cultures. The final product is an American citizen. This person will “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” (Martin Luther King, Jr.).
Americans are the greatest void fillers on the planet. If there is injustice in a country, we bring justice. The world needs mass produced cars, we give them the Model T. A fellow sees that there will be a hungry crowd and brings down his hotdog wagon. I take comfort in scenes like this.
It should not be up to the government to make us “feel” safe. Just the fact you can have a chili dog next to a place of utter chaos just 5 years ago is amazing. Call me nuts, but I love that. Our country is a great one. We must steel our resolve and double our efforts towards self reliance.
God Bless America. We will never forget.
John P. Clark
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