Last Friday the world marked the 25th anniversary of abominable attacks that claimed the lives of thousands of innocent civilians in the United States — carried out by men who somehow convinced themselves that mass murder could be justified.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed in what became known as 9/11. The tragedy is especially painful for us because at least 22 Jamaicans died on the day. More deaths followed down the years caused by exposure to smoke and chemicals.

Today, it’s still horrifying to look at images of those hijacked commercial airliners crashing into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, DC.

Relatives and friends of the victims still struggle with grief and emptiness left by that terrible day.

For some, the pain is compounded since the remains of their loved ones were never recovered, with more than 1,000 victims of the World Trade Center attacks still noted as unidentified.

Only last month New York City announced the identification of the 1,654th victim through the use of sophisticated genetic technology.

At the Pentagon, the remains of five of the 184 people killed when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building were never identified.

The human cost of 9/11 did not end when the fires were extinguished and the debris cleared. Nearly 80,000 people have since been diagnosed with health conditions associated with exposure to dust, smoke, debris, and mental trauma.

The toll has also been devastating among those who answered the call to serve. The New York Fire Department has reported that 182 firefighters have died from 9/11-related illnesses, while the New York Police Department said that 156 cops died from illnesses connected to toxic debris.

We are reminded that the consequences of terrorism do not end with the immediate loss of life. Its shadow can stretch across generations, exacting a terrible price long after the perpetrators have disappeared.

There is no denying that America’s history of military and covert involvement in various parts of the world created enemies and generated deep resentment. But nothing can justify the slaughter of innocent people.

The 9/11 attacks have since unleashed consequences far beyond the immediate devastation. They created a political climate in which demands for retaliation flourished and, at its most extreme, xenophobia found fertile ground. That hostility has become even more pronounced in recent years.

Yet, even as the US continues to confront the political and social consequences of 9/11, there is another dimension of the American experience that deserves recognition — resilience.

Americans have demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to endure, rebuild, and move forward without surrendering the memory of those who were taken from them.

By preserving the memory of 9/11 victims the US has refused to yield to the climate of fear that the terrorists sought to create. That powerful expression of national resolve should inspire all nations confronting terrorism, whether foreign or domestic.

Terrorism seeks to accomplish more than the destruction of lives and property. It seeks to poison societies with fear, hatred, and division. It seeks to persuade people that they must abandon their principles in order to protect themselves. That’s why the response to terrorism must be grounded not merely in strength, but in the preservation of values.

The long, enduring friendship between Jamaica and the US is strengthened by shared values; and conviction that murder and mayhem must never shake our commitment to democracy, freedom, and respect for cultural diversity.

Those ideals cannot be defended by hatred. Nor can they be secured by the indiscriminate use of force. Ultimately, they must prevail through the force of ideas, the rule of law, and the enduring power of human dignity.