As the reality of the indefinite duration of this pandemic sinks in, I vacillate between calm acceptance and unnerving despair. Way back when, when I was hoping for hope, I was momentarily blessed with a tsunami of light, which was quickly followed by a burst of demoralizing darkness. And that cycle of light to dark then back to light continues relentlessly every day, seemingly attached to the algorithms of the daily news cycles.
Where it ends…only time and a national election will tell, at least for the short term. But one thing’s for sure, the stress and uncertainty of this state of being weighs heavily on everyone, no matter the political and/or spiritual persuasion.
I put a lot of importance on the upcoming presidential election only because, for me, the outcome will be a clear snapshot of who we truly are as human beings and what our core values are in the face of adversity. Will intolerance and hatred continue to rule, or will love and compassion once again find their footing and make baby steps forward into the light once again. That damned pendulum has got to swing back at some point. I’m hoping against hope that that point is now.
I used to give Donald Trump most of the credit for unleashing the current level of toxicity in our world. Huge rations of racism, misogynism, Xenophobia, mendacity, misinformation, fascism, fraud and greed, and on and on! Fill in the blanks, and sadly there are many. But the important thing is that now I realize it is far more insidious than one man’s folly. His divisiveness has served as a tool to unmask a subculture of hate and intolerance that many of us bleeding-heart liberals had foolishly assumed had perished long, long ago.
Which is why I have drawn a line in the sand. I am fine with diverse points of view and healthy debate. But I can no longer turn a blind eye to DT’s version of reality that kills people, that enriches the 1% at the expense of the 99%, that destroys families, that cheats to win at all costs, that slanders and demeans opponents, that vilifies science and scientists, that ignores bounties on our armed forces serving in foreign lands, that promotes noxious drugs without scientific support.
It is time for all of us to speak up and do it loudly. That’s all we have left right now to stem the tide of true fascism, where all choice and freedoms will be crushed once it takes hold. Adolph Hitler’s version of reality is not that far off if we continue on this path. One thing is for sure. The pandemic will outlast DT’s first term. No matter who takes office next January, our lives will continue to be limited. Some scholars say two or three years. Limited travel, limited socialization, more suffering and death.
So for us, we are counting our blessings every day. Grateful for our health, and extremely grateful that we are retired. We’re grateful that we live in such a beautiful country and that we have the chance to explore its many facets, from the Caribbean Coastline to the beaches on the Pacific. From lowland tropical rainforests to the Cloud Forests. We help out our neighbors and friends with food and whatever else we can, hoping for hope that this will all be over soon.
Sending love, light and healing energies to all. Stay safe and be well.
Namaste.
🙏💔
Aug. 8, 2020
JEFF09.08.2020 17:56
Enjoyed the article. Makes me glad I live here too.
MICHAEL BIBER08.08.2020 22:43
But there is a silver lining: The awfulness of DT has made us considerably more aware of who we truly are and what we do and do not want the US to reflect.
Judy Richter 