Ten years have passed. To put that timeframe in perspective,remember that today’s high school sophomores were in kindergartenwhen 9/11 changed our world forever.

On Sept. 11, 2001, America’s 225-year-old perception of owninvulnerability was shattered. On television screens around theworld we as a nation came face to face with our own mortality in away we never had before.

They called Vietnam “the living room war” because it was the firstAmerican military conflict to see daily coverage on the eveningnews. Already well into the era of 24/7 network news coverage 10years ago, we witnessed 9/11 not only in our living rooms, but alsoin our workplaces and anywhere a TV set could access asignal.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, the people of this country cametogether as they always do after a disaster, by volunteering togive blood, making donations for relief efforts, having prayervigils for the victims and their families and being more supportiveof the people who wear uniforms and stand up for us, whether theybe first responders, firefighters and law enforcement officers orpeople in our armed forces.

But as the 10 years have passed, that spirit of unity hasunraveled. Partisan politics have split us back into a land ofright-wings and left-wings, conservatives and liberals andmultitudinous factions thereof. Our nation has piled up a massivedebt, fueled in no small way by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan thatspun out of our desire to avenge the wrongs of 9/11.

For the past few years, we have been weathering the worst recessionthis country has experienced since the Great Depression and westill haven’t found our way out of it.

We have elected one post-9/11 president and now we are starting thelong election process to either give him another four years at thehelm or replace him.

And now, as we commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11, we arefaced with new terror threats.

Like those kindergarten kids that are now teenagers getting readyto learn to drive and venture out into the world, we have had tocome to grips with a lot of hard lessons in the last 10years.

Like those high school sophomores, we all still can look forwardand believe that the best years are yet to come. But if we forgetwhat we have learned, we may not be so lucky.