We Can Do Better. We Must Do Better.
For some time, I have felt the urge to write about our current political situation, but my challenge has been not to feed the anger and divisiveness that is currently triggering most of our populace right now. Yet, I feel at heart that we are here at this crossroads for a reason. As a nation, we have been here before, divided and angry, and quite likely, we will be here again. History, like life, has a funny way of repeating itself until the lessons are learned.
Growth and change often come from painful circumstances. As a nation, we are on the precipice of great change because we cannot go back, and we can’t seem to agree on how to go forward, but the current path is no longer acceptable to anyone. We find ourselves stuck in the muck, and we are angry.
Righteous anger can be channeled into a catalyst for change, but we must channel that anger productively, not just adding to the collective vomit coming from all quarters of late. It is time to roll up our sleeves and get to work, not to mindlessly continue down history’s well-worn path stuck on repeat.
As a nation, we are being given an opportunity to grow, learn and perhaps not repeat history.
Did you know that in the years immediately following the American Revolution, we were so divided on how to form a union of states that we nearly did not? Tempers flared, heels were dug in. No one was willing to concede to anyone else’s belief on the best course of action. The issues that they faced were never fully resolved and to this day continue to fester rather than being healed by the passage of time.
The Civil War pitted brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor. We physically freed the black man only to further enslave him to a life of bigotry and violence. Sadly, those issues continue to fester.
Manifest Destiny brought a caravan of white people west, without a backward glance at the native peoples we displaced so violently. The scars of that violence run deep and continue to fester.
As a nation, privileged and powerful white men decided the fate of their women, indigenous races, people of color and immigrants. Not all, but most of those men in power fought hard to protect their own self-serving interests over the best interests of our nation and her people, forgetting that “We the People” meant all her people, not just those who look, think and pray like them. To me, this was the ultimate arrogance and ignorance.
Yet here we are, centuries later, at the same crossroads, dealing with the same issues – privileged and powerful white men feeding fear, anger and intolerance while promoting their own self-serving and short-sighted agendas. We never learn, do we? Apparently not.
We can do better. We must do better.
But what if we cannot? Do better, be better that is. I think most of us believe we are doing that now, but how could our nation be at this crossroads if we were? Yet to admit otherwise would require us to take a good hard look at ourselves, our actions and words, our values and beliefs. Most people would rather scroll quickly past anything that might require them to look at their life differently.
History proves that self-serving agendas are short-sighted and ignorant.
Our current administration is self-serving, short-sighted and ignorant, and I believe if you support this administration you might want to consider if you too are being self-serving, short-sighted or ignorant.
I know many people who proudly admit that they are self-serving, perhaps short-sighted, but ignorance is a triggering word.
No one believes themselves to be ignorant, yet ignorance comes in many forms: bigotry, intolerance, fear mongering, blind hatred. Ignorance is hearing only what you want to hear and ignoring the rest. Ignorance is not asking questions, making assumptions or turning a blind eye. Ignorance is arrogantly believing you are right and feel the need to make others wrong when they do not agree, rather than considering an opinion besides your own. Ignorance comes when we decide to stop growing and learning. Ignorance is willingly repeating history, be it our own or our nation’s.
History proves that there have been self-serving people since the dawn of politics. We have all been short-sighted when it comes to providing for our own comfort before seeking the greater good. I can relate to that, but not ignorance. That is a choice. Being uneducated is not ignorance, refusing to be educated is ignorant, and that is a choice I will never understand.
For the past two years I’ve kept quiet about the political circus, believing that it was my job to rise above the fray and hold intentions in love for all. I continue to challenge my own ignorance and judgments daily, and I know firsthand how hard it is to stop judging people who do not think as I do. I often fail, so I do not glibly write about this, but we must all challenge our own ignorance.
In my heart I believe we are going through growing pains, albeit not very gracefully. Perhaps our nation is in its junior high years of development, where mean people take center stage, bullying us and shouting us down. Our ability to stand our ground and challenge the bullies are still developing. But now is the time for us to stand up, speak up and grow up.
We can do better, we must do better.
As a nation and individuals, we are being given an opportunity – to mature, learn from history and rise above the noise, or wallow in the muck of self-destruction. Our free will is at play. We can create anew. By casting our vote this week, we state our choice. Choose wisely.
