I sat in front of my TV catching up on the political news of the day: hoping something positive would make its way on the screen.
Instead, I got the following: a riot in the middle-east, oil prices going up, rising unemployment, ruthless murder, a school shooting, political leaders unable to work together for resolution, one political or social group is right and the other group is wrong, and somehow it seems the whole world is on a downward spiral to hostility, at the very moment we should be bridging a gap to prosperity and peace.
As I pondered the partisan commentary between news sites and the campaign ads playing to the masses, I became, well, disappointed.
At what point did our great American society, once unified in the purpose of economic freedom, peace, religious respect and self sufficiency, rooted in gentlemanly disagreement and productive compromise, become so hardened with hatred, bias and pride? Can we can no longer show basic regard for one another in the plight to preserve and maintain our once thriving nation?Why has hope become a homonym for hopeless?
In the 1960’s, the popular comic strip The Family Circus printed a comic scene perfectly reflecting the dynamic between siblings. The scene depicted the family’s smiling son Billy, in the back of their car on a road trip, with the words “Mom! Dolly hit me back!” in his word bubble, while little sister Dolly sat with her mouth agape, left with no hope of defense. I find that scene a perfect interpretation of our current political, moral and social environment enhanced by media commentary. It seems all the world is okay throwing out punches, only to whine when we get punched back.
Can we seriously expect that if we throw pride, negativity, hate speech, and sheer stubbornness out to the masses through our social circles as well as our political and media outlets that it won’t come back to haunt us all when we are desperate for resolution, support and dare I say it, real hope?
Have we learned nothing of our past heritage? The fall of great empires throughout world history began with power hungry leaders who bred disrespect, division of the masses, greed, religious intolerance, dictatorship and fear mongering.
In my opinion, negative atmospheres such as the one our country is entertaining with our assumed class warfare, stereotyping, name calling, divisiveness, entitlement attitude and disrespect for one another’s opinions and lifestyles, breeds a domino effect of contention and dissension within individuals, friends, families, societies, and governments. This type of action makes it nearly impossible to have hope for reconciliation and solution.
Will we be the next empire to fall? Haven’t we had enough of the heavy mantle of pride we are putting on ourselves to carry? Are we currently hopeful or hopeless?
It would seem our world leaders have defined the word “hope” for us as patiently waiting for someone to fix our problems while we stand in the unemployment line or just simply quit looking at our options.
Hope has come to mean that we are not held personally responsible for our individual actions as leaders or citizens, because it’s “someone else’s fault.” Hope has become an anthem of faint optimism for a new generation of in-debt college graduates living with their parents again. Hope has come to mean more division, more sadness, more unemployment, more blame, more expenses, more frustration, more of “me” and less of “you”.
What if we as a society could eliminate collective pride and instead show humility through appreciation for what we have worked for, earned, or have been given while living in the greatest country in the world, as opposed to focusing on what we don’t have, perhaps we could change.
If we could be respectful of potential solutions that another of a different party might share, perhaps we wouldn’t be asking where the hope is.
We would instead be creating real, sustainable hope through personal action, the kind of hope that motivates, inspires and uplifts. This kind of positive action of personal responsibility and proactive movement could create true hope for generations to come, as opposed to merely using the word for social, economic and political gain. If we could find our way back to a basic gratitude for the positive things in our lives then we could become authentically more compassionate for another. This one action could be a gateway for our nation to begin healing our broken heart in many realms.
In the long cramped car ride of our nation’s Family Circus, there is no room for fighting.
Let’s get back to the basics, and problem solve, without the arguments and petty fighting, so we can provide real solutions individually that apply to us collectively.
If we can do this, in my humble opinion, there is hope for us all through positive change…
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