h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The first anniversary of the terrible events of September 11, 2001 will be soon upon us. The obvious question is: How best to honor the memory of all those who lost their lives on this tragic day?
There is no one answer, but an appeal to tolerance must be an important part of any tribute to the victims. We must also remember that we are members of a civilization, that we have certain values that go beyond our particular sex, tribe, religion, political party,or nation. Values that are based in the only religion that is the true religion of the human species: the religion of love.
Love does not require dogmas or a holy book, messiahs or prophets, a paradise, heaven or a hell. It does require a certain amount of blood, sweat, and tears and the difficult task of knowing when it must be defended, even at the cost of the ultimate sacrifice.Love is its own means and end.
As a species we are self-aware of our strengths and weaknesses, and we have the ability to learn from this and try to make a better world for ourselves and other species. However we are also very reluctant to do so.
The barbarians are at the gate and they are us. Scratch the epidermis of civilization and what lies underneath is barbarism. If anything, history teaches this paradox, but we have yet to learn the lesson.
Most of us will have our own personal way to remember and homor the victims. Some will attend memorials, others will wave a flag, still others will remain silent in a moment of reflection. Poems will be written, drawings made by school children, prayers uttered, candles lit. And then we will continue with our lives against the unpredictability of the the next moment until the next anniversary, hoping that things will get better.