Long Nightmare Over?

Not really. Only the immediate reminders of dysfunction and perfidy are over, but the real problem remains – what to do about 40% of the American people who believe in Trump? They are the ones we need to pay attention to. Why?

Because they came to their beliefs through years of struggle. Struggle that could have been avoided in so many ways. Let us count the ways:

1.      First, they feel their whiteness is being diluted and erased from the land they love.

2.      Second, they sense others are taking their place, leaving them orphaned and powerless.

3.      Many of them have lost economic power and once-steady careers to massive change.

4.      They see others stepping up the ladder of success while they keep sliding downward.

5.      They served their country in the military and feel little respect for that service.

6.      They witness gridlock in Congress; narrow political interests are served rather than the needs of the people; the common good seems to have been lost.

7.      They see the power of the police being weakened by calls for social justice.

8.      As they age, they sense life passing them by without many of the rewards they dreamed of.

I will stop there. Certainly, there are other complaints they air, but these seem to me to be the primary cause of their distress.

What do the rest of us do about this? How do we help them feel better and stronger? Are their complaints substantive?

Many of us felt unafflicted by these issues. Today, we know that is not true. With many fellow citizens feeling lost in their own country, we see what damage can be done. Elections are stressed and manipulated by unethical people. Propaganda replaces reasoned public rhetoric. Opinion displaces fact and logic. Election results are not reflective of a truer reality. And yes, not seeming to be heard, this cadre of citizens can move toward violence. We have witnessed that many times in otherwise peaceful demonstrations of racial inequity and regional snubbing. The insurrection of January 6, 2021 at the US Capitol Building was the pinnacle of their frustration. Illegal but understandable.

Perhaps social change has become so large it is scary. Rather than focusing attention on seeing change as opportunity, we have allowed many to feel disenfranchised. Let us begin there to ease the pain.

Education is a strong tool to address these problems. However, public belief in public education has diminished in the last dozen years or so. The institution of public education has become so saddled with broader meanings and purpose that effectiveness is now in question. How do we restore the role of education in all our lives? That is the broader question and challenge.

For example, students need to learn personal survival skills that begin with knowing and believing in themselves. They need to see life unfolding before them as opportunity to be explored, learned and championed for their own core interests. They need to realize eventually that community of others is as important to them as the self is to their core understanding of the self. No man is an island; we rely on the aid of others for much of what matters in life.

Education is life-long. We never stop learning and adapting to change. This is central to finding joy in life. It is never dull; it is always unfolding and yielding beauty, worth and opportunity to each of us.

We should never assume this basic belief is present in all of us. Many must work to see and feel it. The rest of us need to be sensitive to that reality and help others realize their potential. This alone is an act of community, of family. Harness that reality and our nation heals and strives together toward a bright future.

Is this something we can work toward? No better time to consider this than on Inauguration Day of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

January 20, 2021