The year 2020 has been an annus horribilis and it's not over yet. Seemingly out of nowhere a virus, heretofore unknown, has seeped over the globe like hot molten lava leaving a wake of destruction and despair. The fatalities here in the U.S. have been staggering and the death count continues to rise. Millions here have been infected and have suffered greatly with severe illness, hospitalizations and intensive care unit treatment. Those who have so far escaped infection are anxious that their fate might change at any moment. All of us have been affected.
And, we have had a catastrophic economic melt down from
which we may never fully recover. Furloughs,
layoffs, bankruptcies and permanent closures have affected nearly every sector
of our economy. The airline industry –
the nation’s circulatory system – now has a very weak pulse, as one of countless industry examples. Job losses have crippled much of the nation which has caused consequences to real people and families far beyond their economic
losses.
As we struggled through the pandemic, the nation witnessed
and participated in protests throughout the nation decrying racial injustice
and demanding change. While we tried to
focus on this movement, we were distracted by those who engaged in looting, vandalism
and other criminal actions. One section
of Seattle, Washington aimed to create an autonomous zone free of law
enforcement. Police became vilified by many which widened existing and raw fissures.
Reminiscent of Newton’s Third Law of Motion, where an action
generates an opposite reaction, the violence that occurred in many of our
cities led to a Law and Order counter-movement, which only served to further infame and
divide us from each other. It was as
if the entire nation was talking past each other.
Then, we mourned, however briefly, the passing of Justice
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as a replacement was offered just days later who is slated
to be confirmed by the Senate in record time.
Democrats howled and threatened to retaliate if they recapture the
Senate in the upcoming election. Do we really need a judicial cage fight on top of everything else?
We were not reassured that there would be peaceful transfer
of power or that the election results would be accepted. Might this supposition contribute to the national angst?
And, then the nation watched the first ‘debate’ between the
2 presidential candidates which took place just 20 minutes from my home. The performance largely served to further
demoralize us about the nation’s current mood and psyche. We are not well, and we agree on
nothing.
And the nation and the world felt a collective frisson when
we learned that President Trump has COVID-19 and was hospitalized.
And, we haven’t even had the election yet.
Certainly, in my lifetime, I have never seen so much pain,
anger, despair and anxiety packed into such a short period of time. Where’s
the way out? Returning to Newton for
guidance, his First Law of Motion states that an object in motion will not
change unless some external force acts upon it.
Will you be part of that external force?
I realize you're trying to be fair and "both sides" this but in the end much of the blame does fall on the Republicans. I say this as someone who is a centrist.
ReplyDeleteHad we just taken swift aggressive action early and locked everything down for a month two, promoted mask wearing, etc while the virus was surging we would have most likely in the clear now and not in as severe of an economic downturn. Not to mention the 10s of thousands of lives lost.
Over time there have been attempts to discuss the relative injustice to black people at the hands of the police. This has largely fallen on deaf ears on the right. Now in the midst of the pandemic the anger on the left has boiled over.
I do think the RBG stuff is just political gamesmanship and the dems would behave in the same way were the shoe on the other foot with both Garland and RBG.
The debate debacle was also all Trump. Had Biden been debating any other Republican the debate would have been fierce but civil instead of the disaster we have seen.