Some thoughts from Peggy Noonan
on the “9/11” generation — today’s college students and
young adults who were in their pre-teen years when America’s
invincibility ended.
I was in my mid-teens at the time, so I can relate to much of the
material Noonan catalogs. Even back then, I was an avid follower
of politics and world events … probably one of the few kids to
watch the nightly news and read Drudge. But 9/11 heightened my
interest in world affairs like no other event could.
For some in my generation, it was, in many ways, a tragedy that
broke our selfish shells and prompted more concern for the world
beyond our own shallow lives. For the first time, we realized
there was more to life than popularity and prestige, cars and
cash, music and MTV. We were reminded of the frailty of human
life and our own mortality. We took God and eternity seriously.
If only for a time.
Time — eight years now — has washed much of that away, but some
of us still remember the lessons learned.
“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of
wisdom.” — Psalm 90:12, ESV.
