The tragedy on Sept. 11, 2001 shocked the country to its very core 17 years ago. While this was a horrible occurrence, and should never be allowed to happen in any country again, it caused a positive change in this country for the time being. Never before were Americans so proud to call their country their own, and never before were they so proud to celebrate the country as a whole — not just as a political party. I was not old enough to remember this time, but from what I have read it seems like even though it was a tragedy, it brought forth a feeling of togetherness that we have yet to match. 

Since then, we have had a multitude of horrific events occur not only in the U.S. but all around the world. Today, however, they do not seem to have the same effect as before. We have a different mindset now. Instead of using these events to recognize that we need to come together to face the true evil that is causing these events, we have decided to use it to further our political agendas. More and more, we use tragedy to either put down the other side, or boost our own egos. This is bad not only because it continues the divide that is rapidly increasing, but it voids tragedy of any real meaning to us besides leverage. 

The most recent example of this is the disappearance and eventual discovery of Mollie Tibbetts, a University of Iowa student who went missing for one month before authorities located her body and charged a suspect with her murder. While there was a plurality of people who reached out to her family in support, there were quite of few people who made the tragedy unnecessarily political. People used a sad situation to further their political agendas on immigration. Instead of posting condolences, people posted angry rants about how if the country were stricter on immigration this would not have happened. The country has become so obsessed with their side being on top that we have forgotten to realize the true implications of these tragedies. 

Rather than focusing on the issues that divide us, we need to look for what can bring us together and what we may fix together. We can all agree that whatever happened should not have, and we can agree that Tibbet’s family needs the support of others. Don’t make it political, but if you must, make it political in a way that can bring us together. Of course, actions should be taken after tragedies, but not actions against each other. Find a middle ground and fight for it. It is quite a simple fix, but we have all been blinded by a political shield.

Horrible events will happen whether we want them to or not. It is a part of life. The part we can decide on is whether we let it tear us apart or bring us together. I choose unity, and I hope you do as well.