In thinking about how to properly commemorate this sixth anniversary of the September 11th attacks that so changed American society, I decided to share what I initially said six years ago:

It may be many weeks before we know how many lives were lost or ruined in the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. It will take longer to discover the impact on our personal and national character.

One thing for sure, the calamity of September 11 will have a lasting impact on the American psyche forever scarred by the knowledge of our vulnerability to instantaneous mass destruction.

In the next days we will see close-ups of horrible carnage and be confronted with choices that could change us as individuals and alter the nature of our society. Filled with compassion, fear, rage, and a desire for revenge, we can emerge more caring or more callous.

We know mortality statistics can’t begin to convey the personal grief behind those numbers. While compassion and empathy are important qualities of character, they can cause pain. It’s tempting to shield ourselves by turning away, but if we do, we risk becoming desensitized and may lose the opportunity to fortify our instinct to care. We should realize that embedded within the headlines are tens of thousands of individual tragedies and force ourselves to stay emotionally engaged because it strengthens our humanity.

It can be sad and depressing, but if we allow ourselves to imagine with our heart what is being felt by every child who became an orphan, every parent who lost a child, and every husband and wife suddenly divorced by death, we are more likely to help others -- and to become better people.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.