Hope
Excerpts
President Joseph Biden
"I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real, but I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we're all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial and victory is never assured." -- Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., 20 Jan 2021
"And so today at this time in this place, let's start afresh, all of us. Let's begin to listen to one another again. Hear one another see one another, show respect to one another. Politics doesn't have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn't have to be a cause for total war. And we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured." -- Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., 20 Jan 2021
Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman
"We've braved the belly of the beast We've learned that quiet isn't always peace And the norms and notions of what just is Isn’t always just-ice And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it Somehow we do it Somehow we've weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken but simply unfinished" -- Amanda Gorman, 20 Jan 2021
"We close the divide because we know, to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another We seek harm to none and harmony for all Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true: That even as we grieved, we grew That even as we hurt, we hoped That even as we tired, we tried That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious Not because we will never again know defeat but because we will never again sow division" -- Amanda Gorman, 20 Jan 2021
Our blunders become their burdens But one thing is certain: If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change our children’s birthright So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left with -- Amanda Gorman, 20 Jan 2021
For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it If only we’re brave enough to be it -- Amanda Gorman, 20 Jan 2021
Reflections
I selected the above passages for a wide-ranging number of reasons. As I have reflected on things, however, I realized there was a very poignant message burning within whose flame had almost been extinguished; a thought buried underneath years of disbelief and exhaustion, and a renewed desire to pursue the singular thought that long guided my endeavors.
Over the past four years, and especially in recent months, I have seen many posts on social media that have appalled me. The spread of misinformation with such conviction that it becomes easy to think it fact is not a new phenomenon, but it has been perfected in recent years. Similarly, the rise of virile, vehement attacks on individuals for simply disagreeing with a viewpoint, has become reprehensible.
Most of all, though, I find myself disappointed. Disappointed in the lack of many of those in my "social circle" attempting to do better, to be better. Disappointment in the lack of taking a moment to discern fact from fiction. Disappointment in the most simple, basic act of trying to be a decent person. However, I would be remiss in mentioning the most excruciating disappointment of all: disappointment in myself for not being a more vocal proponent of love, compassion, and the betterment of society.
Today is a day of hope. Today is a day where we can finally look to the office of President of the United States of America for guidance, honesty, and trust in fact and science.
We have a long road ahead of us to reach a better place, a better moment. There will be many disagreements on policy and direction. This is the nature of politics in our nation, and something that we used to recognize as the simple cost of doing business, as it were. Whatever you may think of the new administration, or the previous one for that matter, we should all reevaluate our positions based on a simple set of questions: what about this change actually bothers me, and what is this change attempting to do?
I have long held to the theory that our affinity for labels, an unfortunate necessity for the way in which we navigate the world by classifying information internally, will ultimately be our downfall. Now, more than ever, I know that to be true. We are, in order of what we should be thinking of with regard to policy, human beings first and foremost. We should be discussing human rights and citizen privileges, not what should be allowable for any specific subset of people within those groups.
While imperfect and flawed, we should never stop striving for the attainment of the American ideal. We have seen darkness and persevered. We have seen failure and stood back up and tried again. We have seen unprecedented oppression and bigotry, and yet we still cling to the notion that all are created equal. It is time we pursued that ideal with the desire and passion necessary to recognize its promise. It is time for us to no longer slip quietly into the night, but to pronounce our arrival at dawn with trumpets blaring and drums pounding. It is time for us to lead by example.
Today I renew my efforts to attain my singular, guiding goal over the many years: to make certain that those I encounter are better for having known me, however brief our interaction. I challenge you to do the same.