Christine Hamm

Asking for endorsements has been one of the most vulnerable parts of running for office. But wrestling with that discomfort has led me to a much bigger question: If so many of us are frustrated with political culture, why do we keep accepting its unwritten rules?

What if the next time someone says something that immediately puts us on the defensive, we get curious before making an assumption? What if we ask one more question? What if we listen long enough to understand not just what someone believes, but why?

Twenty-five years later, more than almost anything else, I remember the quiet. My mom’s house was under a busy flight path into O’Hare, and suddenly there were no planes overhead. The silence felt enormous. But I remember what came afterward, too: the way we reached for one another, looked out for our neighbors, and found connection despite our differences. On this September 11, I’m remembering both, and remembering how much we still need one another.