Five years ago, a day became permanently etched onto the memories of Americans. To this day, September 11 rings true as a reminder of both past and future horrors. Just as Pearl Harbor and the Vietnam War remind us of the extreme capabilities of human nature, so does 9/11. But it also reminds us of the human ability to become one in mind and spirit at a time of crisis.

The 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony, which was held on September 8 at the Alumni Arch, included members from the Jewish faith to the Muslim faith. Chaplains representing different religions and orders united in instilling hope and praying for the lost and grieving ones. Stony Brook has unfailingly commemorated 9/11 every day, and not just once a day in a year. This is evident in the students’ respect for different faiths on campus, the faculty’s dissipation of knowledge from different perspectives and the administration’s assimilation of students from other parts of the world.

The Chaplains at the Commemoration Ceremony reminded us to carry on our belief in the individual’s right to freedom and to respect any individual’s right to dissent. As a publication, the Statesman cherishes this right more than any other and so do citizens of this country, irregardless of their background. The events that followed 9/11, including the Iraq War and the global fight against terrorism, took place because of a human cry for freedom. Freedom has now become a nationalistic phenomenon almost unparalleled since our independence.

Today, the Stony Brook community has been brought together just as the country was five years ago. As an American microcosm, SBU has succeeded in including people from all walks of life. 9/11 has shown to the world that we are not simply a set of disparate states, but a united states.

Let us solemnly remember the lives lost on that day. Perhaps, the best way to commemorate these lives is to not simply congregate in person, but in spirit and in a common purpose for freedom.