9/11 legacy should be remembered every day, not just on anniversary 
American tragedies these days seem to become mirrors of each other. Perhaps it's because we've gotten to the point where the only connection we can see in both ourselves and other citizens is our mutual sadness. A reflected reminder that we might not be so different is as unifying as it is tragic, and we, as Americans, have never been more united than we were on Sept. 11, 2001.
Yet here we are, 11 years later. Our once-staggering pride transformed into an annual eclipse, crossing the horizon and obscuring our view of the national division we have grown accustomed to. For just one day in mid-September, we stand together. And then like clockwork, the moment passes and our conflicts and contentions are restored. We resume the position of a nation divided.
In honor of the attacks, Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama called for a cease fire in their campaigns for the day. In one of the most bitter elections Americans have ever seen, refraining from using attack ads and venomous political rhetoric was seen as a solemn sign of respect, not a common courtesy. But why do we and our leaders put our differences aside for just for one day? Why not honor those fallen every day by consistently striving to create a nation that those we lost can smile down upon?
This year, Twitter feeds and Facebook statuses were repeating the same sentiment over and over: Never forget. And surely, no one will. An act of terror committed on such a grand scale radiates throughout the entire globe, reaching even those completely unaffected by the events. But the point is not to "not forget," the point is to remember — a minuscule difference of large importance.
In order for this nation to leave its current state of stagnancy behind, we must always remember that despite distinct differences, we are all Americans fighting for the common good. It just seems to take a tragedy, or the anniversary of one, to remind us. As the war rages on to bring justice to those who lost their lives, the effort is becoming futile and conditions in our own country are deteriorating. With the current unemployment rate and the debt skyrocketing, it is all too easy to look at those in power, and even those around us on the street, in detest. Blame Wall Street, blame the government, blame the narrow-minded Republicans and the delusional Democrats for the negative state of the nation.
But if we only truly remembered every day the shared pain in our fellow citizens' hearts when the towers fell, it would become immediately apparent, as it does once a year, that the deaths of those killed are worth far more than this. Because even though we stand united in sadness, we can still stand united.