Two mass shootings in less than 24 hours. This is what this country has become, and I am grieving.
I am taking the liberty of running this post from October, 2018 because 1) it is frighteningly relevant and 2) I just can’t pull my thoughts together today.
It’s too much. We can’t live like this.
*****
In order to take the country in a direction that any reasonable person would recognize to be wrong, it is necessary to take away their ability to see the truth. Our vision relies heavily on an access to light. And so light is what is systematically being taken away from our national discourse.
Like advance men for a traveling show, the dealers of darkness come in and post big swaths of darkness in our communities. It’s gradual. But it is a steady, ongoing loss of light. We move from walking confidently to crawling along, feeling our way. Any noise in the darkness is something to be feared.
Normalizing racist and others forms of hate speech = darkness
Demeaning women = darkness
Stirring up fear about migrants = darkness
Promoting a culture of guns = darkness
Closing polling places = darkness
Reviling a free press = darkness
The mailing of explosive devices to people/institutions that have been criticized by the current president is a direct result of this ongoing process to spread darkness: the darkness of ignorance, conspiracy theories, and anger. So, too, is the slaughter at the Tree of Life Synagogue. When your goal is to keep people in the dark and take away their choices, it is important to convince them that someone else is to blame.
We must be as aggressive in spreading light in our communities as these dealers are in destroying it. Moreso, actually. As hokey as this may sound, the survival of our democracy depends upon it.
We must:
Speak and act with respect to those who are different
Respect and empower women
Advocate for fair and compassionate immigration policies
Elect candidates who will vote for common sense gun legislation
Protect the right to vote
Lift up and defend a free press
We must vote. Of course we must vote. Voting alone is not enough. We must also live in a way that shines light in the darkness.
Like advance men for a traveling show, the dealers of darkness come in and post big swaths of darkness in our communities. It’s gradual. But it is a steady, ongoing loss of light. We move from walking confidently to crawling along, feeling our way. Any noise in the darkness is something to be feared.
Normalizing racist and others forms of hate speech = darkness
Demeaning women = darkness
Stirring up fear about migrants = darkness
Promoting a culture of guns = darkness
Closing polling places = darkness
Reviling a free press = darkness
The mailing of explosive devices to people/institutions that have been criticized by the current president is a direct result of this ongoing process to spread darkness: the darkness of ignorance, conspiracy theories, and anger. So, too, is the slaughter at the Tree of Life Synagogue. When your goal is to keep people in the dark and take away their choices, it is important to convince them that someone else is to blame.
We must be as aggressive in spreading light in our communities as these dealers are in destroying it. Moreso, actually. As hokey as this may sound, the survival of our democracy depends upon it.
We must:
Speak and act with respect to those who are different
Respect and empower women
Advocate for fair and compassionate immigration policies
Elect candidates who will vote for common sense gun legislation
Protect the right to vote
Lift up and defend a free press
We must vote. Of course we must vote. Voting alone is not enough. We must also live in a way that shines light in the darkness.
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