A Plea for Sanity

I am deeply unsettled by events that are unfolding here and around this deeply troubled human world.  As a people, we seem to be gravitating towards a darker era of the nation’s past – a time when power was deeply entrenched within the domain of white males.  We seem to be revisiting a time when corporate power controlled all aspects of American life; when the central government played no role in regulating the influence, policies and reach of the powerful; when the natural environment was not considered in the formulation of public policy; when diverse opinions were regarded as essentially irrelevant; when civil rights and human rights had no place in the national discourse and when keeping the population as ignorant as possible - especially in the realm of science - was seen as a necessary tool of governance.

This new federal administration seems to be more than willing to engage in bigoted and demeaning speech and to offer credence to xenophobia through both words and divisive actions in a country that has been deeply enriched by a remarkable degree of diversity that serves us all well.

For the most powerful nation on the planet to move in such a direction in the 21st century is an astounding prospect and is very disturbing.

 

In the meantime, the striving of all of humanity is overshadowed by the indisputable reality of climate change dangerously accelerated by human activity that can only be countered by collective and sustained effort.  In spite of this reality, the humans on planet earth – our only home – remain mired in debilitating conflicts and seemingly endless struggles over politics, religion and economics.  As a result, a great many humans endure suffering often of the most extreme kind.

This is not the way it has to be.  As human beings, we are quite capable of so much more.  I know that we can create a world in which love, compassion, intelligence, reason, and generosity of spirit are the values that inform our politics and our behavior.