Remember the day

There’s an old saying that one remembers where they were and what they were doing when a catastrophic event occurs. To some degree that’s true since I remember where and what when President Kennedy was shot, where and what when Martin Luther King was shot, and the same during the Sept. 11, 2001, tragedy. These events and others are vivid memories that I would rather not have.

In today’s world, it seems that tragedy is just around the corner, with all the local and national shootings that are too numerous to keep track of and too sad to hold in memory. How did our nation get into such dire straits?

I believe we have become a nation of factions. Instead of welcoming each other and showing courtesy to everyone we meet, some of us carry a banner of some cause or group that we back. For some of us, it is a political party, and for others a social issue. Whatever it is, we need to come together; when we are split into the many pieces I believe we are, we are vulnerable to attacks on a small scale or on a scale like 9/11. It is because our enemies see or at least sense that we can be had.

I urge you to look at what is occurring in our country and come to the realization that each of us must contribute toward its political and social health with good intentions. I urge our leaders at every level of government to quit the acidic back-and-forth that characterizes our politics. I urge our media not to emphasize drama, but just report the news. We have too many analysts and too many soothsayers trying to dictate what we think about everything. Some might call my thoughts naïve, but one can hope.

I was sitting comfortably at home having a cup of coffee, one week after retiring, and got a call from one of my sons on 9/11. He told me to turn on the television because something was going on. I watched in horror at the events of the day and prayed that I would not see anything close to this in the future. Sadly, that has not happened. Let us remember 9/11! GEORGE WILKEN

Little Rock