It’s hard to believe that it has already been 25 years since the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001.

We remember and honor the lives lost and courageous actions of many who responded and carried out search and rescue, mass care and recovery from the disaster. There are enduring, powerful lessons for us all.

The first is that when bad things happen, good people show up. We call this “pro-social behaviors” and see this time and again with floods and hurricanes and many hazards which harm people, destroy homes and businesses, and disrupt our lives.

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It’s not just family and friends, neighbors and colleagues, but often strangers and people we don’t know who reach out and help those in need. We need to get out of the way and ensure that good people can take action and make a difference.

Sept. 11 reveals another common lesson with disasters, the failure of foresight. Why didn’t we see this coming? How could we have been so taken by surprise? Why wasn’t this prevented? Surely there were warning signs?

The risks and threats were known and yet we failed to gather necessary intelligence, position assets, and take effective action to prevent hijacking and weaponization of aircraft and killing innocent people. With the Boston Marathon bombings and many other terroristic events following 9/11, the failures in foresight persist.

Thinking and acting on the unthinkable is hugely difficult and subject to scorn and ridicule. We are taught to not make waves, to be part of the crowd, and not speak up and say something even though we know or feel that things are headed south.

This was the tragedy of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster, when hundreds of children followed orders rather than saving themselves. Sept. 11 and other disasters remind us to take action in spite of what we’ve been told and conditioned to believe.

In not just times of disaster, gather our loved ones. Hold on to family and friends and tell them every day how much they mean to you. In the blink of eye, a disaster can sweep everything away. We need to remind each other how precious and priceless they are. Don’t wait for a disaster to express your love and devotion.

Building strong communities supports response and recovery from disasters. We see this following not just Sept. 11 but with countless hurricanes and tsunami and flooding disasters

Hawaiʻi’s 9/11, Hurricane Iniki on Sept. 11, 1992, and the Lahaina fires three years ago taught us how communities come together and help each other, across disciplines, sectors, religions, party-lines and cultures. Disasters in Hawaiʻi remind us of the place-based knowledge and values of empathy, care, decency, and mutual aid when bad things happen.

Hawaiʻi is a special place not just because of our exposure to many hazards but also because of our remote location. We need to invest in community resilience.

We can learn from disasters. Disasters magnify weak points and structural deficiencies. They show who has access to power and influence and information.

Disasters are teachable moments. We need to work to make our communities more resilient, robust, equitable and able to withstand shocks and disruptions. We need trans-disciplinary learning that brings together science, social science, policy, planning, and action.

Since 9/11, a quarter century ago, we clearly need more attention to diplomacy at home and abroad, where we are building bridges, not just walls, and investing in humanity and decency, peace and prosperity rather than warfare.

While our world has become a more complicated, yet interconnected and confusing place, “Maluna aʻe o nā lāhui a pau ke ola o ke kanaka …”