This week Americans were united in a way they haven’t been since Sept. 11, 2001, with the news that Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the horrific attack on U.S. soil that day, had been killed by U.S. forces. News accounts depicted a painstaking, years-long effort by the intelligence community to follow a lead to its final conclusion, at a large compound in the mountains of Pakistan.
In 2001 we were united in grief; this week we were united in victory, in celebration over a battle won. But the war against an ideology that seeks to destroy us is not over, and we are challenged from within by philosophical and political differences that threaten to divide us.
Sunday’s news brought relief and closure to many, and celebrations broke out across the country following President Obama’s address to the nation, in which he said:
“I think we can all agree this is a good day for America,” he said. “Today we are reminded that as a nation there is nothing we can’t do.”
He’s right—as a nation united, there’s nothing we can’t do.
We can agree to disagree on issues, but we must strive to rise above rhetoric that sets people against each other.
A nation united is the key.