Columnist Sandy Thompson: Nation can never return to normal

Sandy Thompson

Friday, Sept. 21, 2001 | 5:27 a.m.

Sandy Thompson is vice president/associate editor of the Las Vegas Sun. She can be reached at 259-4025 or e-mail at thompson@lasvegasun.com

LAST WEEK Americans were urged to return to normalcy. I'm not sure anymore what "normal" is, but I do know that we can't return to business as usual.

On Sept. 11 we were jolted out of our coddled, complacent existences. We were shell-shocked and filled with sorrow. Try as we might, we can't make sense of it. The enormity of the devastation and human loss is beyond comprehension. We're only now learning of the personal tales of tragedies, how individuals reacted in the face of horror. Many family members may never know the details of victims' last moments.

The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were only the first wave. Now we must face the dire aftershocks: war and more deaths, and a collapsing economy.

Before Sept. 11, we watched TV news coverage of terrorist attacks in Israel or Palestine from a geographical and emotional distance. We accepted the violence as just another part of living in the Middle East.

We were upset when terrorists killed American soldiers on the USS Cole. But the incident faded quickly from our national consciousness. Instead, we tuned into political soap operas.

Sept. 11 changed our moods, our outlooks on life, our consciousness. That's why we can't go back to true normalcy or business as usual.

We no longer can take our comfortable lifestyles for granted.

We no longer can be lax about airport security. We can't sacrifice safety for the sake of saving a few dollars or because we'll be inconvenienced.

We no longer can ignore events in other parts of the world, thinking that they can't happen here.

The only good that can come of the evil, devastating attacks of Sept. 11 is that we have a better appreciation of each other as human beings, as families, as friends, as neighbors. That we not tolerate terrorism, violence and hatred.

We should value and cherish our families, and not be so quick to discard our mates and children when problems arise.

If all that sounds naive and Pollyanna-ish, consider what's happening now as the country unites behind President Bush. Democrats and Republicans are standing together. Some families are paying more attention to their loved ones. There has been an unprecedented display of patriotism.

But patriotism is more than waving a flag. It means backing the ideals of America and fighting for freedom if necessary. It also means each of us must do what we can in our communities to help each other through tough economic times.

As a nation we have resolved to eradicate the terrorists responsible for these unspeakable attacks. But will that resolve remain strong in the coming months and years as more and more people lose their jobs and their homes from the economic aftershocks of Sept. 11? Will that resolve remain strong when we see body bags filled with American soldiers?

The answers will tell us what Americans are truly made of and how much we value our independent way of life.

We must never forget the horrifying images of Sept. 11. We must never forget the thousands of innocent people who lost their lives because they were simply doing their jobs. We must never forget the final precious moments of the men and women who, in the face of death, took time to say goodbye to their loved ones.

Our resolve to eradicate terrorism must remain strong for them.