Today is a Good Day

After our democracy was tested its breaking point – both figuratively and literally – Joe Biden has become the 46th, President of the United States. 

“Today is a good day.”

I recall hearing those words before and for the very same reason that I use them today. It was 11/7/20. The time was 11:28. My wife had been wanting to go out, after all it was a beautiful day, but I was working in my journal that I have kept since the beginning of quarantine and I had my eye on the Electoral College numbers. Was today going to be the day?

“Come on,” she urged, “Get ready. Let’s go. I want to head to the bank, and they close soon.”

“I’m just finishing a thought…” I said as I typed away. “…There.” I said, let me get dressed and we can go.” I went into our room so that I could get dressed. I was just pulling up my pants when she exclaimed from the other room…

“The AP called it!” she said, “Biden is the winner!”

And so, he was. We both sat down at our computers to glean as much information as possible. God knows the states had been careful in counting and, therefore, had not had a clear winner until 11:28 am. My daughter came downstairs and joined us. Linda found a linked site on CNN with the banner, “BIDEN WINS” in large font across the top of the page. 

We watched, Van Jones started speaking, live to the world. What he said, brought me to tears because in two minutes he was able to describe and give a glimpse into the dystopia that the last four years have been. A two-minute microcosm of TRUTH. With all the noise, chaos, and shameless lies being on the menu these past four years, hearing the truth brought me to tears. It did so because the last four years have been bad. Worse than bad. Across America the spark of our negative impulses, hatreds, and inherent selfishness were kindled to near conflagration by the occupant of the White House, 2016 – 2020. Now the occupation of the People’s House – the White House, was near an end. Mr. Jones’ words hit me when I saw them happen live. Later, I took the liberty of transcribing his words…

“It’s… um… Well, it’s easier to be a parent this morning. It’s easier to be a dad. It’s easier… It’s easier to tell you kids, ‘character matters’. It matters. Tellin’ the truth, matters. Being a good person, matters. And it’s easier for a whole lot of people. If you’re Muslim in this country, you don’t have to worry if the president of this country doesn’t want you here. If you’re an immigrant, you don’t have to worry it the president is going to be happy to have babies snatched away or send dreamers…. Back for no reason. This is vindication for a lot of people who have really suffered. You know, “I can’t breathe” – you know, that wasn’t just George Floyd – that was a lot of people that felt they couldn’t breathe. Every day you’re waking up and you’re getting these tweets and you just don’t know, and you’re going to the store and…and people who have been afraid to show their racism are getting nastier and nastier to you. And you’re worried about your kids and your worried about your sister and can she just go to Walmart and get back into her car without somebody saying something to her. And…and, you’ve spent so much of your life energy just tryin’ to hold it together. And this is a big deal for us – just to be able to get some peace. And…and to have a chance for a reset. And the character of the country matters. And…and being a good man matters. You know, I just want my sons to look at this – look at this. You know, it’s easy to do it the cheap way and…and to get away with stuff. But it comes back around. It comes back around. And it is a good day for this country.

I’m sorry for the people who lost. For them it’s not a good day. But for a whole lot of people, it’s a good day.”

Your vote is your voice.

The noise and the lies have been rejected.

I am not exaggerating, Gentle Reader, when I say that I feel lighter. It is as if a weight has been lifted. The occupation is over. The hate that has been a hallmark of the last administration has been exchanged for HOPE.

I am not gloating. I am telling you the truth. And the truth is something that we have grown unaccustomed to hearing. God knows we have problems, but the first thing one must do is acknowledge them so one can do something to fix them and move on.

The reset button has been pressed.

I’m ready to for better days.

The First Step to Recovery

One of my closest friends posted on Facebook concerning it being Martin Luthor King Jr. Day, that we have major underlying problems with racism, and that the problem is worse than normal & has been emboldened these past four years.

He is not wrong on any of these points. The mob mentality of certain disappointing Venn diagrams of people I know has been eye opening. It is one of the reasons I have cut back as much as I have concerning Facebook – the people. Now that I have seen their true faces – the ones that they used to hide – I find I cannot tolerate them for extended periods of time. If their transgressions are too much they are banished and blocked, which is mutually beneficial I don’t miss them and they don’t miss me. Is this how echo chambers happen? Sure – but I am DONE with entertaining flat-out racists & radicles. If that means I’m in an echo chamber at least I know its not in theirs.

But, getting back to my friend’s post…

I used to think so much better of us. I thought that we were better than who we are as a people – as a nation. I thought that people were treated fairly no matter what shade of the rainbow their skin was. It turns out I was in a cocoon – a comfortable, white chrysalis – wearing my rose-colored goggles. I was wrong. I didn’t know any better. I grew up. I matured a bit and was able to see the cracks in everything around me & I began to question myself about those cracks & everything I took as indefatigable truth. The world is a much larger place than the one we are presented with as children or adolescents.

We have a MAJOR underlying problem of systemic injustice right here in the United States of America. COVID-19 exposed a great many of our most dirty secrets. Fears, superstition, racial injustice, hidden hatreds, civil rights, healthcare, science denying, selfishness, conspiracy zealots incapable of maintaining a baseline reality, domestic terrorists – yeah, this is America. Not all America – but the America that we are presenting to each other and to the world. When people do not feel as if they are in “control” they are susceptible to wrong thinking – susceptible to falling for opinions rather than thought; because, if anything, social media has taught us is that opinions are so much easier to have than thoughts. BUT there is hope. I truly believe that this is a time where we can do something we need to do as a society – recognize that we have problems – SERIOUS problems; because if we can recognize that there are problems – identify what they are – then we can do something about them and start to build a nation where we can TRULY say that we stand for “Liberty and justice for all”. That words such as, “We The People” stand for ALL people, because they must or they mean nothing. We need the courage of our convictions. Not the situational ethics that have suited us for years.

Things are changing – COVID-19 saw to that. Our dirty secrets are not secrets any longer. They have been laid bare. Since they are in the light let us work together to make them better, to fix them – all people of good will working together for not simply our own benefit but for the benefit of all. We are at a unique point in history where we can & must recognize these issues – our problems and do something positive to change them. We owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our country, we owe it to the world, and most of all we owe it to the future – to our children. This was part of Martin Luthor King Jr.’s message, “There is nothing to keep us from remolding a recalcitrant status quo with bruised hands until we have fashioned it into a brotherhood.” That is from his book, “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” I’ve had enough chaos. It’s far past time we started truly building that community.

Common Ground

There are agents of chaos. To them – the true believers, the ones who have embraced hatred to the point that they wish to commit violence for no rational reason whatsoever against our fellow citizens. Stop. Think of what you are considering over these next few days. It is not hard to see on social media, I mean there are some of you who are not even bothering to cover your tracks, which in itself is a cry of desperation. The truth of the matter is none of these threats or plans that you have made need to happen. There is no sense in it.

You may be excited to be going to the “Rally for Trump” but 1 + 1 still equals 2. He lost, at this point we are looking at basic math. 60 lawsuits later – each without merit. He lost. I do not say this to gloat. It is what it is. Four years ago, the Electoral College voted him in, and he won. Four years later, the Electoral College voted him out and he lost. As I said, it is what it is. It is not the end of the world and, you never know, perhaps things will not be as bad as you expect them to be. I hope that is the case. I hope for another one of the pillars of our democracy to work as it has these past 244 years – the peaceful transfer of power.

We have consisted on a diet of lies & fantasies told by madmen and manipulators for far too long. Some of these claims have been repeated and accepted by some to the point that they are not only believed but taken to heart as gospel truth. We cannot base such serious actions, which are being discussed openly on social media, upon these delusions. We cannot. We are better than that. We must unplug from the big voice that reassures us, that keeps us warm and safe in our comfort zones – telling us what we want to hear. No, the voice must be rejected.

“What are you talking about?”

Smoke and mirrors are what I’m talking about. The illusion may be comfortable but there are two things that I challenge you to do: 1., Think for yourselves. This is not an insult – this is a calling. Voltaire said, “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” We need a baseline reality that we can all work from. For that to happen we must think for ourselves. 2., Think of others. It is not all about me or you. We share a world with a great many different types of people in it. Wanting to hurt, maim, or kill others because they don’t look, worship, or vote like you or I do is not only illegal, but it is also ethically bankrupt. Doing so to any level cheapens whatever cause you believe you are fighting for. We are Americans & entertaining such plans is at its very core un-American. We are better than such things. We have more in common than we don’t. But, in order to see that, we have to consider that there are other people in this world and, thankfully, here in the United States of America it is this diversity that continues to make us all the stronger.

My girl lost and your guy won in 2016. My guy won and your guy lost in 2020. It is what it is. Society and our representative republic need come to a baseline reality – a balance that we can mutually accept as the truth. We need at least two political parties who can abide by reality. This is not an insult this is real. Denying reality only goes so far until reality doesn’t move any longer to fit our own personal narrative. Let us seek the truth together – standing on common ground. Let us work together for the betterment of all. We are all in this together, Americans – We The People of these United States. Together we can make a better world for our children and, at the end of the day, I think that is something we can both get behind – it is that common ground.

We are in this together – as we should be. Great things are possible if we realize the potential in ourselves and lift those around us to realize theirs. Hope is one of my favorite four-letter words. Let us be the people we are called to be and move into that future together – a future found on common ground.