Honor them with Peace

by Mackenzie Miller (Plant With Purpose's newest intern)

It’s easy to feel helpless on a day like today. A day when we all are reminded of the tragedy and terror, the heartlessness and hatred of that now infamous date; September 11^th.

Everyone has a “what I was doing when the towers fell” story, and mine is not unusual. I was simply eating a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats and watching television, when I was captivated and horrified by the images paraded across the screen. I remember thinking to myself that my life would never be the same; that the world would never be the same. I was only 13 years old.

Growing into adulthood during such a turning point has had a great impact on me, and my whole generation. It’s as though the world – especially the media – was asleep before 9-11, and was abruptly awakened to realize the inequalities that surround us all.

Eight years later, the memories are just as tragic. Today, our daily routines may seem robotic. But as the protective scabs we have formed are ripped away to expose that familiar raw fear, I urge you to surround yourself with hope. Because if anything, the past eight years have proved we are definitely not helpless in the fight against hatred.

With the growth of organizations like Invisible Children, CASA and Plant With Purpose, more young people than ever are getting involved with spreading peace. My new internship at PWP has already shown me that the littlest things – like, planting a tree – can make the biggest impact.

PWP is dedicated to empowering hundreds of thousands of the rural poor to take charge of their lives through economic empowerment, environmental restoration, and spiritual inspiration.

I was right, you know. When I thought the world would never be the same, eight years ago. Because it has changed, and is still changing – for the better. And it’s filled with people (and companies, like Plant With Purpose) that are dedicated to changing it for the better.

So please, don’t retreat to solitude or helplessness on this day of mourning. Reach out, and touch a life.