What a year this week has been.
Our lives have been shaped by an almost daily shattering of norms. So much so that we can barely comprehend or contextualize what happened this week. The never-ending cycle of justifiable shock and outrage conditions us to set aside the physical and mental stress as quickly as we can, as a means of self-preservation.
As such, we have little reserve for facing an event of such consequence. We’re so relieved to see the storm has passed we can’t fully appreciate the damage it’s left in its wake or how it formed.
To put it another way, the foundations are still in place. We see the cracks but we’re content to note their existence for now because it’s all we can do. Fixing them seems like a task for another day.
I think about the people who say they support America, but co-signed, attended, or dog-whistled their support for a ground strike at its very heart: keyboard warriors in Facebook groups, local business leaders, even the very people we elected to uphold our democracy.
If you claim to love your country’s flag, how can you cheer (or raise your first in a salute!) for those who wish to disrupt the peaceful transition of power? Cherish the symbol, yes, but it means nothing if you don’t preserve the ideals for which it stands. There is no patriotism when your supposed defense of liberty and justice is carried out under a flag that stands for one man, not one nation.
Where is the support for “Blue Lives” when those men and women put their lives on the line to protect democracy? The silence of those who expressed anger at the broken windows of a shopping mall is conspicuous right now as the windows of the Capitol are shattered. Opposing the defunding of police, but supporting violence against them is merely support for extremism and disorder.
One lie follows another as so many try to cover their tracks with cries of “leftists!” or “Antifa!” as the “real” cause of this insurrection. So is it a true uprising in defense of a stolen election or is it a false flag operation? It can’t be both.
The chasm between their beliefs and their actions is wide and I wonder what bridge can be built to cross it.
I think about the number of people who’ve genuinely felt lost this past year, who have felt so helpless that they found comfort in convenient, but false narratives. It’s unimaginable that our federal government abdicated its role as protector, leaving it to states and cities to fight a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. Yet it’s shaken our faith in leadership so much that we’ll believe anything that explains it. We want to feel better about our own yearning for escape or uncertainty.
“Ah ha! See? Our governor is…and our mayor is…how do I know? Well I saw this tweet…”
Lies now travel around the world three times and are made into memes before the truth gets its pants on.
All because our country has never lived up to the ideals of our sacred texts. Or that the power to decide how those ideals would live in the world was held within the powerful fists of a few as they crushed optimism and the franchise under their polished heels.
Real, meaningful change in people’s lives that they can see, feel, and experience only comes with power. It’s how we get past surface prejudice and polarization.
That’s the bridge.
I know we’re tired. We want things to be less fraught and frenzied. You deserve several days of a good night’s rest, a glass of ice water, and a healthy meal.
Because the cracks remain and we’re going to need your help to repair them when your reserves are replenished.
We have to acknowledge that Trump was not the cause of our polarization and division. Like COVID-19, he took advantage of an environment starved for answers—one filled with mistrust, and prejudice. A divided society lacking a shared set of facts, beliefs, resources and goals. No common project.
The cracks were there, but Trump made them wider and deeper. He’ll soon be gone from the White House, but the cracks will remain.
Here’s the thing about cracks: the worst ones don’t start where you can see them. They start underground and weaken the foundations beneath us. Once we can see them, it’s too late.
What we saw this week were the cracks bursting through the ground. In a time when our national politics seems impossible to reconcile, our local politics goes on.
Real, meaningful change starts locally. Right now, there are people gearing up for local races in 2022 and 2023. They want to run against those who would turn a blind eye to power grabs. They want to fix the leaks that pour water in the cracks of our foundations.
Look no further than the question of who will be Speaker of the Illinois statehouse for an example of why we need to pay attention to state reps and senators, township boards, aldermen, and village mayoral races. All this consolidated power affects the redrawing of legislative districts, the effects of which ripple up and down the ballot. In Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County, those down-ballot races lead to a centralization of power for those who decide whether we get years of a status quo built on corruption or a new day.
Despite the efforts of some this week, we’ve given the Presidency, the House, and the Senate to people who want to fix the cracks in the foundation. Strengthening the norms in our local institutions builds support for these national efforts.
Get some sleep. Then take the energy you’ve spent paying attention to races happening on the other side of the country and bring it home. You may find it restores your faith in the power of government to help people. And your neighbors’ faith, too.
Image: “Cracked wall” by árticotropical is licensed under CC BY 2.0
