I have suffered from a bout with writer’s block for several days now. I did not want to drive away those who read my blogs by pounding on politics at every turn, but at the same time my efforts to be optimistic began to sound trite. I found myself staring at the blank screen on my laptop without a single thought worthy of a sentence much less a paragraph. Then I met with a little girl who was struggling with her emotions and her school work.
She shyly spoke of the anxieties that were almost paralyzing her. She was worried about people that she knew who were suffering and she feeling inept in comforting them. She compared herself to individuals who appeared to be stronger and more intelligent and always came out less than in her own estimation. I listened attentively to the outpouring of her heart.
I understand what it is like to feel the pain of the world around me. i explained to the youngster that it is because she is so empathetic that she is feeling overwhelmed. I suggested that sometimes it is okay to take a break from the emotions that are sapping her energy. I tried to help her realize that self care is important for people like her who literally feel the distress that others are experiencing. If such situations become too much to bear the body and the mind react to protect the individual from being engulfed.
The world can be difficult to navigate in even the most mundane times. When we are rocked by a series of events that are out of the ordinary and hurtful to ourselves or others it becomes more and more difficult to find the serenity that we crave. Since the inauguration of Donald Trump the world has been rocked over and over again. Little wonder that most of us are feeling confused and maybe even a bit hopeless. We might have a desire to just turn off the noise for a time and pretend that horrific things are not happening. It’s our way of dealing with the toxic thoughts and actions that seem to be taunting us.
We have watched our nation’s agencies being gutted by a group of young men in their twenties who appear to be randomly making decisions without any kind of plan other than making our government lean in terms of numbers of employees. Anyone who has ever been part of an organization knows that there are always improvements to be made but enacting them requires teamwork and careful decision making. Taking a chainsaw to programs has resulted in grave mistakes that will ultimately have a negative impact on all of us.
We may want to have more control over the immigration process in the United States but the answer does not lie in sending men wearing black clothes and wearing masks to pick up individuals who legally protested and then sending them off without due process to determine whether are not they should indeed be deported. We can’t just accept that groups of men sent to a grotesque prison in El Salvador are guilty of being gang members without any form of proof other than tattoos and associations.
It has been difficult to witness our president praising Russia while demeaning Ukraine and our once staunch European allies. How are we supposed to react when the geopolitical policies of our entire lifetimes are being thrown into the wind? We feel less secure knowing that once friendly nations no longer trust us to work with them. It’s difficult to understand how any good can come from bashing our friends.
The economy is reeling with the announcement of tariffs on virtually every country in the world with the exception of Russia and Hungary. The formula used to determine the tariffs makes no sense and files in the face of reality. Economists of every stripe tells us that this latest action will not raise the revenue that Trump expects but will place the burden of higher prices on every American citizen and business. All of the progress in keeping our economy safe and secure even after the Covid epidemic has down the drain. The investments of pensions and 401K plans are losing value by the minute. Stocks are falling.
We have a mad king running off to golf competitions while our nation is falling apart and we appear to be unable to stop the damage he is inflicting on us. What could possible go wrong? Why should we be so worried?
After licking my wounds for a time I realize that none of us can afford to simply look away and hope for the best. It will require a concerted effort from every American to stop the bleeding of our nation. We cannot be silent and expect things to change. We have a malevolent bully running our country, a spoiled child who is running amok. We have to let him and his allies know that will no longer idly sit by and just take it. We will use our voices and our votes to send a loud message to anyone who supports the runaway train that Trump is driving. The America he is creating is a nightmare and contrary to everything that has ever been good about this country. Our Founding Fathers created a new nation dedicated to the notion that of the people working together. They rid us of a king and we should not accept two hundred fifty years later. We should be horrified that Trump and his cronies are openly seeking vengeance on anyone who has ever disagreed with him. That is now how the system was designed to work.
I may have to rest a bit now and again but I will always return. My voice will ring out. Freedom and dignity for all is my cause. I will speak out.
All It Takes Is A Little Love 