This has been a tragic and amazing week. Terrible things have occurred, the Houston area suffered potentially $100 billion in property loss and damages, and more than three dozen lives have been lost. Yet at the same time, something wonderful has also happened.
Americans remembered what it means to be American.
For a few days, we forgot to fear each other. We forgot to pick and choose who we think is or isn’t worthy of our empathy, our energy, and our passionate commitment to save and to serve. Soldiers, Coast Guard, National Guard, Navy, police, even reporters and hundreds of private individuals have risked their own lives, donated their own time and equipment, and sacrificed their own funds to help thousands of those who are in desperate need and in stark risk. We didn’t see people checking to see if someone was waving the wrong flag, or had the wrong car bumper sticker, or was the wrong race, was from the wrong zip code, belonged to the wrong income bracket, was from the wrong country without the proper visa or travel permit, or is the wrong gender, or wrong gender assignment, or worshiped the wrong version of the God of Abraham before we deemed them worthy of our efforts.
This happened because it had to happen. If it didn’t happen what had already become a tragedy would have become an even greater unthinkable catastrophe, the kind we saw 12 years ago in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
This is what America is about. This is what it should always be about. This is what makes America great, this is why it has always been great, and this is why it will remain great.
Many more sacrifices will be necessary before this is all over, long after the flood waters have retreated and receded. Just how long will we be able to retain the spirit of this America—and just what might it mean for us in the future?
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