Acknowledging the USA We Live In

So, it’s been a while since I posted. I just relocated to another state and I haven’t been able to get on here for a while.  I know that I said I would try to generally avoid politics here on this blog, but I think that I must at least acknowledge some of what has been going on in the USA over the last few weeks.  The withdrawal from Afghanistan did not go well – something it seems both major political parties can agree on.  Americans are still stuck there, unable to get out, and soldiers were killed.  We are about to recognize the 20-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks.  New York’s governor, once worshipped and obsessed over, has resigned and suddenly he and his scandals have been swept under the rug and out of the media.  Parts of the country have been battered by Hurricane Ida.  California is attempting to recall their governor, a man who is popular with elites, progressives, and politicians; but seen as a dictator by a large part of the population, as the middle class watches their state fall apart.  Battles are continuing to take place all over the country between parents and school boards regarding mask mandates and Critical Race Theory in school. Texas passed a pro-life bill that has currently been allowed to stand by the Supreme Court.  The pro-life community is rejoicing and encouraging other states to follow suite, but the media and Hollywood is in uproar (not particularly shocking). Medical personnel, Military members, and public servants (police, fire, sheriffs, etc) who have generally been considered heroes, are losing or at risk of losing their jobs because they believe they have the right to choose not to get a vaccine.  The country continues to become more divided and people are becoming more discouraged, more scared, more angry, more defeated, more isolated, more willing to fight – any combination of the above. 

I want to offer a few words of encouragement.  The Book of Ecclesiastes says “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ch 1. Vs 9) This statement rings true.  This is not the first bad time in history.  Just this past century had its issues.  Atomic bombs and Nazi concentration camps for a start.  Two World Wars.  Looking farther back, the Fall of the Roman Empire, the Black Plague, civil wars in many different countries, etc.  There have always been untrustworthy/evil/crooked politicians.  Think The Ides of March for one example.  History repeats itself.  Learn it and learn from it. 

For the practical response,

• Go to church, even if you have never been before.  You may find peace there. 

• Take a break from the news/internet/media/social media.

• Talk to someone in person.

• Talk to someone you disagree with and begin to build a bridge.  We have made things like vaccines, masks, and political affiliation the most important things in our lives and they have become the topics that unify or divide us.  But there is so much more to all of us.  Find something in common with someone else you generally are in opposition to and take a moment to let the other things not be as important.  This may mean surrendering a little pride.  But you don’t have to let go of what you believe just to put it aside for a conversation.

• Don’t allow your anger to let you break long standing ties.

• Don’t allow someone else’s fear or anger or willingness to cut you out of their life stop you from loving them, even if it has to be from a distance.  It will be hard, but guess what?  Life is hard!

• Pray.  Here is a challenge for those of you who don’t believe in God.  If He is real, then prayer will bring at the least, some comfort to your heart.  And if He isn’t real, then what harm can it cause to pray?  As a Christian myself, I personally believe praying for others is one of the most loving things we can do for them.  Prayer is an act of trust in God, that takes our mind off how we can solve the situation and is a personal act of surrendering control to Him.

• Laugh.  It may seem very hard at moments to laugh, but it’s good for us.  Put on your favorite comedy or play a stupid game with friends.

• Get outside of your home, office, school, or wherever you spend most of your time.  I personally find just taking a trip to the grocery store or sitting outside to read instead of inside, can help get me out of my head.  Get involved.  So many of us are so willing to sit behind our screens and criticize, complain, analyze, or at the very least just absorb everything online.  You could run for elected office or campaign for someone.  But maybe you don’t have the time or interest for that.  So attend your kid’s school board meeting, volunteer a few hours a month at a charity, learn the issues before the next election so you understand how and why you are voting, or join your neighborhood block-watch.

“This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.” C.S. Lewis (To read the whole quote, click the link.) https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/10190811-in-one-way-we-think-a-great-deal-too-much

“Behold, I have discovered this,” says the Preacher, “adding one thing to another to find an explanation, which I am still seeking but have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all these. Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.” Ecclesiastes 7:27-29