In words and deeds, today's society is losing respect. Respecting your elders and honoring your father and mother are no longer obvious. We respond, miss curfews, neglect presidential speeches, and the states that make up this union are divided. In previous generations, respect for one's neighbors, one's family, one's country and its values ​​was anchored in daily life. We can counter this position with the example of discrimination; However, although prejudice extends from society to the armed forces, not all of it is prejudice. Conditioned to see the world through only one lens, he restricts the landscape. Stereotypes are meant to serve as scripts to protect us, but to what extent do they hinder our horizons? As many members of the older generation demonstrate, there is always a sense of hope; never go below the horizon so much that you lose sight of the better days to come. With the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 6, 1941, the United States became involved in World War II. As a nine-year-old girl living in Paterson, New Jersey, my great-aunt Gladys remembers the widespread nationalism of the time as her community rallied around the country's war efforts. This feeling is comparable to that which followed the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Respecting rationing laws, searching their homes for metals, collecting newspapers and stripping aluminum from cigarette packets for scrap metal drives, the nation united. My great-grandfather even organized blood donations to the Red Cross and took them out for “steak dinners” to “replenish their blood.” Everyone was invested. Aside from school air raid practices and blackout strategies, Aunt Gladys felt that the war did not directly encroach on her young life, but she remembers the feeling of the time very well. ..... middle of paper...... and his dorm mates. kept a schedule of daily bombings; they wanted to monitor when efforts increased and decreased. These men refused to accept the situation and developed a strategy to control it. In conclusion, in talking with my mother's family, I gleaned lessons that are applicable to our daily lives. These include respect for others, careful use of stereotypes, and perseverance for a better future. Everyone has merit as we travel the paths of life. However, I saved the most useful one for last: don't be afraid to admit that you're afraid or unsure of yourself. For fear of ridicule and inappropriateness, we refrain from asking questions. Questioning is the best tool for understanding. Through the survey, we assess our level of knowledge and the comparative views of those around us. Research is the greatest engine of learning, an endeavor that all must pursue.