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Sometimes we all need a little pep talk. And I desperately need one right now. So I thought I would share this one, in hopes that I might raise someone else’s spirits as I indulge in a much-needed attempt to raise my own.
The reason I require a good, honest talking-to is, I am sure to most of you, more than obvious.
I look at what my country has become, and the magnitude of the bigotry, the hatred, the violence and the wrongdoing overwhelms the soul. And the fact that such things have become so matter-of-factly acceptable breaks the heart.
We see people who call themselves good Christians – and indeed, perhaps they once were – behaving in ways that are so far removed from the teachings of Christ, one wonders if they will ever find their way back to the faith they once valued above all else. We watch, in horrified disbelief, as they embrace the hatred of their so-called religious leaders, who espouse intolerance towards anyone and everyone who is considered to be not one of their own.
We see once-decent people ignoring the plight of their neighbors, their fellow citizens, their fellow human beings, with an attitude of I’ve got mine, so what else matters. We hear them talk about the out-of-work as lazy, the sick as slackers looking for a free ride, the homeless and hungry as a drain on society, without ever once considering that a hand held out to help someone in need not only benefits all of society, but strengthens each individual who is part of it.
We witness our fellow citizens supporting a president and administration that has lied to and stolen from the very people they swore to serve and protect. We hear them applaud policies based on greed and corruption of our government; we are aware of their dismissive tone as they say This is how it’s always been, so don’t even bother to fight the system, no less attempt to change it.
We have seen our nation transform itself; from being a beacon of democracy to a being a global bully, from being respected around the world to being feared and despised, from being a champion of human rights to being just another nation that tortures and imprisons without access to legal recourse, from being a democracy based on the rule of law to a country that allows its own leaders to circumvent the very Constitution that once defined its freedoms, its way of life, and its ultimate goals.
Our airwaves have been given over to hate-mongers and those who deliberately misinform, to the mindless chatter of those whose only qualification is the ability to distract the citizenry from what is of vital importance and replace it with offerings of glitz-laden rumor and gossip about people whose lives serve little purpose.
So where is the pep talk? Where is the reason to be optimistic or hopeful, or believe there is something of value that can be found in the ashes and resurrected?
In days like these, I remind myself of better times and better people and, in so doing, remind myself that we have gone through such times before, and the people who have led us forward stepped up when needed – and will again.
I remind myself that my nation was once changed for the better by a woman who, tired and no longer willing to accept inequity, refused to move to the back of the bus.
I remind myself that a once obscure preacher gave such eloquence to a dream, his words moved a country to not only share that dream, but inspired it to turn dreams into reality.
I remind myself of the poetry we have written, the music we have created, the art we have produced - not for money, nor fame, nor a desire to empower ourselves, but simply out of a sense of who we are as a people, and who we still aspire to be.
I am also reminded that while our nation seems to be overrun with the selfish and the corrupt, it is also populated by people who give generously of mind and spirit when the need arises; people who drove hundreds of miles to NYC on 9-11 on the chance they might be of assistance; people who rushed to New Orleans to be of aid; people who still invite a down-and-out neighbor to share the bounty of their dinner table – even when their own next meal may, of necessity, be meager at best.
Our country seems presently to be under the influence – of con-men selling greed under the guise of self-preservation, of snake-oil salesmen promoting aggression and violence as the cure-all for what ails us, of money-grubbing flim-flam men selling eternal salvation in the form of bigotry and intolerance.
We have been here before – and alas, we will be here again. But we must remind ourselves, as difficult as it may be in times like this, that in the end reason always manages to triumph over abject stupidity, no matter how widespread it may be; that the good heartedness of our countrymen will always, sooner or later, eradicate the hard-heartedness some would have us adopt as a way of life.
We are Americans, and we will overcome. We always have, we always will.
That’s because we, as decent individuals, are stronger than the evils of the collective mindset we are encouraged to accept. It’s because we, as a nation, may falter in our aims to be a more perfect union, but eventually we find a way to unite.
It’s because in the end, it’s what Americans have always done, and will invariably do in future.
My little pep talk is over. I feel a little better now. I hope I’ve made someone else feel a little better, too.
Hang in there – help is on the way. It won’t come in the form of polished political rhetoric, or campaign razzle-dazzle. It won’t capture the masses by way of promises of a better tomorrow through conquering our alleged enemies, or creating new enemies to be outwitted and undone.
It will come from a reawakening of our collective memory of who we are as Americans - where we came from, what we have survived, what we have changed for the better, what we have accomplished – and what we will again be when our present nightmare is banished to the murky shadows from whence it came.
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