Bravery and humanity abound

We have seen the worst and the best of humanity in the wake of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. The terrorism has bought this nation together in a sense unity and purpose which hasn't been seen since the heyday of World War II.\nIt is sad to see that is takes an event of this magnitude for people to rally around one another and their nation. But it is reassuring to see that when times are hard and people are put to the test, they do come through. \nNot enough can be said of the bravery and humanity of the firefighters and policemen in New York and Washington. The way they have handled themselves in the wake of this tragedy is exemplary.\nIt is said that there is no truer love than when a man lays down his life for a friend. \nThen what great power moves the men and women in uniform to lay down their lives for strangers that may or may not approve of them?\nI've stopped thinking that a police officer's duties were limited to busting parties and giving out speeding tickets. Firefighters must be the most patient people in the world, running around from false alarm to false alarm to ensure they are in the right place when they are truly needed.\nBoth groups are true pillars of society who take their oath of service and protection to heart. Everyone should try in the next few weeks go out of their way to thank a firefighter or cop for the service they perform for us on a daily basis and the heroism they portray in times of dire straits.\nUnfortunately, there is also evil in the world that we live in. The killers who orchestrated the attacks are the bane of humanity. They were people with a hate so great and mindless they were willing to kill themselves and innocent people to give this hate a face of terror. \nBlind hate toward the diversity of humanity has always been one of the greatest sources of evil on this planet. But the attackers were not the only evil displayed in the last two weeks. The people who targeted innocent and usually defenseless people for reprisal of the attack can be placed in category close to that of the attackers. There were very few people involved in the terrorist attacks and only a few more people condone the attack. \nPeople of the Islamic faith are as horrified by the attack just as Christians, Jews and people of other faiths are. Harassing fellow students because they look like they are from the same country as someone evil is despicable. It is almost like punishing all Italians or all Germans for the sins of Hitler.\nAs we begin to put the pieces of our lives back together, let us remember what type of person we want to be remembered as. Are you willing to do what is right and needed to help a fellow person? Or are you going to be a person of hatred, spreading fear and terror among our fellow human beings?