The Religion News Service published this survey shortly after 9/11. The perennial take away from this illustration is how suffering brings us back to basics:

One-third of Americans Reassess Priorities after Terrorist Attacks

(RNS) One-third of Americans say the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were a "life-altering experience" that caused them to change their priorities, according to a new Gallup poll.

Nearly half of conservative Christians 46 percent say the attacks caused them to change their lives, according to the poll of 1,019 adults. Non-whites and women under the age of 50 were the most likely to report a change after the attacks.

While 66-percent of Americans say the attacks have not changed their lives, more than half of those who have shifted priorities say they are spending m…