You never forget 9/11 and where you were the day terrorists attacked America and killed nearly 3000 people in 2001. Everyone was shocked.
Even for those of us who were not in New York, Pennsylvania or DC on 9/11, it still weighs heavily on our minds each anniversary. One thing that helped me last year was donating to the Elizabeth Wainio Memorial Scholarship Fund at Towson University, which honors a 9/11 victim by helping others.
Giving is a great theme that everyone could carry on each 9/11 anniversary. We can’t undo the tragic events of that day, but we can help others by giving. We can also save many lives.
Charitable giving is also best for the continuing process of healing from 9/11. I remember what former president Herbert Hoover said in 1946 when he was addressing the nation after World War II. Hoover was serving as a food ambassador for President Harry Truman, to try and prevent famine from engulfing much of the globe.
Speaking about the need to save those starving from post war famine, Hoover said “Such action marks the return of the lamp of compassion to the earth. And that is a part of the moral and spiritual reconstruction of the world.”
We had just seen the worst brutality in world history during the war, and many lives were lost. We had to counter such evil with good. After the war we had a chance to save those who might starve to death amid the ruins. Hoover encouraged Americans to take action to save lives from famine.
America responded with the greatest outpouring of generosity the world had ever seen. Hundreds of millions of people in Europe and Asia were saved from starvation from the post war food shortages.
As we come up on this 9/11 anniversary we are seeing the world’s biggest hunger emergency since Hoover made that speech. In Somalia millions are starving to death because of repeated drought. The UN is close to declaring famine. Likewise in Afghanistan, drought has put millions more on the verge of starvation.
In civil war-torn Yemen, children are suffering severe malnutrition. These and so many other countries need food so lives can be saved.
The war in Ukraine, with Russia’s brutal invasion, has worsened all these hunger emergencies. In a world where there is so much suffering from conflict and climate change, we need to be humanitarians and peacemakers. You can help by donating to charities like the World Food Program, Save the Children, CARE, Mercy Corps, Catholic Relief Services and so many others.
We can save many lives on 9/11 just by giving. But also we can each set an example for peace. For only a world at peace with charity can we eliminate terrorism and other evils. The lamp of compassion must shine bright.
William Lambers is the author of the Road to Peace and partnered with the UN World Food Program on the book Ending World Hunger. His writings have been published by the New York Times, Newsweek, History News Network and many other outlets.
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