Twenty-five years is a long time.

But perhaps not long enough as so many of us are still working to recover from the deadliest attack on U.S. soil.
We know that the killing of nearly 3,000 Americans on Sept. 11, 2001, still resonates for much of the country.
Every new poll and study finds that a growing number of Americans say not only did the horror of that day change their lives – the impact has grown.

On the 25th anniversary of that haunting day, the attacks that unfolded in New York, Washington and Shanksville, Pa., still evoke a stir of emotions in us — from anger and shock at so many innocent lives lost to patriotism and pride in the heroes who emerged on hijacked planes, in the rubble of fallen skyscrapers and a shattered Pentagon.

The attacks of Sept. 11 left an indelible mark on Americans’ psyches unlike few events have over the course of several generations. A Pew Research survey a few years back found that 97 percent of Americans who were at least 8 years old when the attacks happened said they remembered exactly where they were when they heard the news. Only the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963 (95 percent) triggered that kind of recall.

Sept. 11 changed the way we talk to our children. Conversations about “stranger danger” or “stop, drop and roll” now include talks about “people who don't like us” and “see something, say something” and explanations on why we have to take our shoes and belts off before we can get on an airplane.

We accept less privacy, allowing full-body scanners to reveal to strangers more about ourselves than we do to our own family, to weed out those attempting to hide a weapon in the most personal places. And yet about two-thirds of Americans say they're willing to put up with such personal impositions to prevent terrorism. Other infringements upon our fundamental American privileges are chalked up to national security.

Shortly after Sept. 11, Congress passed the Patriot Act, expanding the powers of the feds to keep tabs on our personal information, from credit-card use to cell-phone calls to car travel.
Today, thousands of federal, state, and local organizations take part in domestic counterterrorism efforts; our federal agencies have tens of thousands of people eavesdropping on 17 billion intercepted emails and other communications every day. FBI agents search databases, screen household trash and use stakeout teams to investigate “persons of interest.”
Still, we don’t feel any safer?

The truth is Americans are more fearful now of a terrorist attack than at any other time since Sept. 11. Polls show an overwhelming number of Americans said it is “very likely” that we will suffer another attack in the near future.
And as much as we seem willing to give up our rights as Americans, we are still just as quick to question the patriotism of those who may dress differently than us and worship in a mosque. A quarter of a century later, it is a sobering reality that we still find ourselves divided by political polarization and pointing fingers at fellow Americans.

Honoring the memories of the victims remains a sacred duty, as does reclaiming the spirit of perseverance and genuine unity that defined our national response in the face of tragedy. The most enduring way to honor the lives lost on Sept. 11 is to actively embody the profound unity, compassion, and shared purpose that defined the morning of September 12.

As time distances us from the tragedy of 2001, stone monuments and annual moments of silence remain vital anchors for our collective grief. However, the truest living memorial is built through our daily actions—by refusing to let division shape us, supporting our neighbors, and recommitting ourselves to one another as human beings first.