Let's Be Honest...

The world has been out of sorts for a while...like a constipated toddler or a cranky old man whose favorite diner has suddenly stopped serving meatloaf.  We have been on edge, dealing with multiple stressors, some in our faces like the pandemic and others more under the radar, like less public civility.  We've experienced friends, family and neighbors becoming more polarized in their political views and building walls of intolerance that have threatened relationships, stoked by social media and a divided press.

How have we let this happen?   We're all dealing with the same realities yet our understanding of the situation is all over the board.  Conspiracy theories spring up daily and dangerously grab hold of millions.  What are we missing?  Perhaps it is BALANCE. As ideologies and beliefs scew dramatically in one direction or the other, we have become an "all or nothing" society.  You are either entirely on one side or the other and, most dangerously, the other side is "the enemy" not to be trusted or respected. You are either Pro-Trump or Pro-Biden, Pro-mask or Anti-mask...you get the idea. Civil discourse on the issues is impossible since both sides are firmly entrenched.

In the interest of full disclosure, I voted for Biden for President.  I voted against Trump.  But I feel it is important to say that I voted less for or against the individual than for or against their policies and my feelings about what direction our country needs to take.  Both candidates had merits and flaws.  That is the nature of our democratic process. We choose the candidate who we feel will more closely align with our views, knowing full well that we will not see perfection or infallibility.  That being said, I did feel a palpable sense of joy and relief watching the inauguration ceremonies yesterday.  The message was clear: Let's put aside our differences and get to the task at hand.  We need to heal our country on so many levels. The young poet, Amanda Gorman provided an eloquent call to the task in her amazing poem.  Here is the transcript:

Amanda Gorman's "The Hill We Climb" Poem Transcript

Dr. Biden, Madam Vice President, Mr. Emhoff, Americans, and the world.

When day comes, we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never ending shade?
The loss we carry, a sea. 
We must wade. 
We've braved the belly of the beast.
We've learned that quiet isn't always peace.
And the norms and notions of what just is, isn't always justice.
And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it. 
Somehow we do it.
Somehow we've weathered and witnessed a nation that it isn't broken, but simply unfinished.
We, the successors of a country and the time where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president only to find herself reciting for one.
And yes, we are far from polished, far from pristine, but that doesn't mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect.
We are striving to forge our union with purpose. To compose a country, committed to all cultures, colors, characters, and conditions of man.

And so we lift our gaze, not to what stands between us, but what stands before us
We close the divide because we know to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside.
We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another. We seek harm to none and harmony for all.
Let the globe, if nothing else say, this is true.
That even as we grieved, we grew.
That even as we hurt, we hoped. 
That even as we tired.
We tried that we'll forever be tied together victorious.
Not because we will never again know defeat, but because we will never again sow division.
Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree and no one shall make them afraid
If we're to live up to our own time, then victory won't lie in the blade, but in all the bridges we've made.
That is the promise to glade the hill we climb.
If only we dare it's because being American is more than a pride we inherit.
It's the past we step into and how we repair it. 

We've seen a force that would shatter our nation, rather than share it. 
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.
And this effort very nearly succeeded, but while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated in this truth. 
In this faith we trust for while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us. 
This is the era of just redemption. 
We feared it in its inception.
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of of such a terrifying hour, but within it, we found the power to author a new chapter.
To offer hope and laughter to ourselves.

So while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe? 
Now we assert how could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?
We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be a country that is bruised. 
But whole benevolence, but bold, fierce, and free.

We will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation because we know our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation.
Our blunders become their burdens, but one thing is certain.
If we merged mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy, and change our children's birthright. 
So let us leave behind a country better than the one.

We were left with every breath, my bronze pounded chest.
We will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one. 
We will rise from the gold limbed hills of the West.
We will rise from the wind swept to Northeast where our forefathers first realized the revolution. 
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the middle Western States.
We will arise from the sun baked South. 
We will rebuild, reconciled and recover and every known nook over our nation. 

And every corner called our country.
Our people diverse and beautiful will emerge, battered and beautiful. 
When day comes, we step out of the shade of flame and unafraid, the new dawn balloons, as we free it.
For there was always light. 
If only we're brave enough to see it.
If only we're brave enough to be it. 

I love the message of hope she conveys. No, we will never be perfect but striving for improvement is the message of America. We must never stop trying.  We must continue to build connections and strive to understand each other. We must never turn a blind eye to injustice or corruption.  We must always feel free to speak about issues that concern us. And, most importantly, we must always protect all of the freedoms that separate the United States from every other country in the world.  

We also need to accept that actions have consequences.  That understanding is what makes us reasonable adults.  My rights can never infringe upon yours and vice versa.  Violence or the incitement to violence means facing repercussions which need to be swift and just.  That is the basis of the American legal system.  It should not be tainted with  deals, bargains, special considerations or compromise. If you do the crime, you do the time...period.

I have no doubt that the elections of 2020 were a fair and binding mandate.  I am proud of the turnout, the largest in history, and feel that whatever incidents of irregularity, if any, were too insignificant to have affected the final outcome in any way.  There were no mass numbers of votes from dead people or duplicate ballots.  I believe the courts who ruled on those issues had their facts correct and ruled appropriately.  Rumors, lies and vague suppositions were overruled by facts and the truth.  That is what should happen...and it did.

Now we need to turn our attention to the future.  We have a pandemic to suppress, an economy to rebuild, a social justice system to redefine, an environment to rescue and, perhaps most critically,  trust and relationships to reestablish at all levels.  Let's bring some balance back to our lives to expedite those tasks. We're all in this together.

It's Been A Year...Now GET OUT!

 

The symbols have been surreal: Flaming dumpsters, toilet paper Christmas trees, Murder Hornets, A nearly empty Times Square on New Years Eve, Netflix binges, Conversations in lawn chairs six feet apart, Sports Stadiums with cardboard cutouts in the stands, Family Gatherings via Zoom, Masks, Face Shields.  A most bizarre year to say the least.

The human costs of this year have been staggering, leaving scars that will remain with us for many years.  Millions dead worldwide, many more millions infected and dealing with a diminished quality of life, collapse of small businesses, social systems, neighborhood connections and a fundamental trust in the power of our government to keep us safe. Families are still separated from loved ones, lifelong friends cannot get together, and everyone must still operate under a code of separation and isolation in everyday encounters for the near future.

The stories of dedication from First Responders and Medical Personnel have reminded us that there are Heroes among us. But this has taken an enormous toll on them, forcing them away from their families and leaving them feeling overwhelmed and helpless in the face of this monster, especially in those cases where the virus could have been prevented with simple precautions.

January 1st is just a date.  It looks no different than the day before, or the 365 before that.  But it marks a seismic change in our attitudes and expectations.  In our minds, we have crossed from a landscape of fear to one of cautious optimism.  A new calendar means new possibilities for recovery and hope.  The rollout of two powerful vaccines felt like a much deserved Christmas present to the world. We are desperately hoping that our salvation lies in a couple of hypodermic needles.  Will this strategy work?  According to the scientists it will if we can get the vaccine into enough people to create a "herd immunity" and stop the virus and its mutations from further spread.

What will January 1st 2022 look like? Will we have been able to resume life as we knew it prior to March 2020? I suspect that even if the virus is brought under control it will be a very long time before it leaves our collective memory.  The casual hug or handshake will be hesitant.  The assembly of a crowd watching a concert or a baseball game will make us feel uneasy.  Large gatherings among strangers will send up red flags.  Even boarding a plane or a train or a bus packed with strangers will feel uncomfortable.  We can't easily forget the devastation of this silent killer.

I desperately hope that among the lessons learned from this horrible experience are the fragility of our humanity and the need to be vigilant.  We especially need to be protective of the most vulnerable of our population.

So, I cautiously raise a glass of optimistic cheer for a year of hope and promise while opening the door to kick out a year of devastation and sorrow! 

Happy New Year!