The Carillon bells that will toll 11 times this morning on the second anniversary of a horrific day remind us of the relatively new chapter in world history, whose existence we cannot deny. It is also a time to examine what we, as Americans, have learned.

The scars on our hearts and minds aren’t quite as fresh as they were on this day’s first anniversary one year ago. After all, there’s that paper you were supposed to turn into your professor yesterday. Your car needs an oil change, and you’re scheduled to work for six hours after you’re done laboring with a day of classes. Your roommates ate all your groceries, and hey, the big Iowa State versus Iowa game is this weekend.

Until today, you may have gone weeks, months, perhaps even the full year, without really stopping to think about the terrorist attacks.

Sept. 11 may be the Pearl Harbor of our generation, but sometimes the ways in which it changed our lives seems distant, even minimal, here in the safe haven of Iowa.

But what did we learn on that dark day two years ago and in all of the days since?

Perhaps the hardest lesson to swallow was that yes, there are people who hate America and Americans. We don’t like to believe this. It’s part of our national fairy tale to assume everyone loves Americans and wants to be just like us. Sept. 11 forced us to face this myth.

This goes hand in hand with our belief that everyone comes to the United States seeking the “good life,” the American dream, that eternal melting pot that begins in New York City.

Two years ago, we woke up to a nightmare that people had come to our country only to live in secrecy and create a blueprint for one of the most lethal attacks on American soil.

We have also learned to value our freedoms more, as we have been stripped of some basic rights in efforts to improve homeland security. As a result of these efforts, the USA Patriot Act was passed — a severe blow to civil liberties that allows the government unprecedented access to information that was considered private only two short years ago.

International students at Iowa State and universities across the nation have endured considerable hardships in efforts to comply with regulations implemented by the Immigration and Naturalization Services.

Obviously, life has changed in the past two years, even here in Iowa. Some of us have been affected far more than others. There are still lessons to be learned, blessings to be shared, challenges to overcome.

Today is a time to look back, to reflect on what we have learned and what we haven’t. It’s only with this knowledge that we can move forward.

Editorial Board:Nicole Paseka, Megan Hinds, Amy Schierbrock, Alicia Ebaugh