These days, in the midst of all the chaos, dysfunction and noise this country feels like the Temptations old school song “Ball of Confusion.” That song was released in 1971, just before the nation was about to be plunged into the depths of the Watergate investigation and subsequent resignation of a President 2 years later. The United States of America has been in a crisis of identity since the election season of 2016 and the Dawn of the Age of Trump and Trumpism. The contrast is a stark one, immediately following the Obama Presidency where the president was elected by both a clear majority of the popular vote and a substantive margin in the Electoral College. Many Americans truly believed we, as a nation, had taken a step forward in history, and in so doing, we had become something better than we had been in the past. What a difference the next election made.
Over the past 2 years, America has been shaken to its core and challenged to the very bedrock of its foundation as a democracy. There is more polarization, dissent and division within the nation today than just a decade ago. There is a lack of working together towards a common cause and little to no cooperation in problem solving not only in Washington within the corridors of the legislative branch of government and in the halls of the judiciary all the way to the White House, but also in big cities, small towns and roadside diners all across America. Everybody is out of sorts about something. It almost feels like folks are just disagreeing for the sake of being disagreeable. Here we are on Independence Day, all bound up having a hard time celebrating Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Instead, we are struggling to find ourselves and recognize who we are and what we believe as a nation. How do we reconcile the contradictions we see in front of us? How do we navigate the chaos that besets us on every side on this 4th of July holiday? Is there anything we can all celebrate as Americans?
Perhaps we need to take a pause and recognize the things that are important in our lives. Take stock of the freedoms and liberties in which each of us are privileged to participate when so many others do not have access to those rights and privileges. We all need to stop majoring on minor things and stop participating in the chaos and confusion while making a lot of noise and accomplishing very little except extreme fatigue and exhaustion. We must learn to work smarter and more effectively and stop beating the air! Define our priorities and determine what we are willing to do for the cause of Freedom on this Independence Day. Remember, to whom much is given much is required. Remember that Freedom is not FREE. What are you willing to do to free yourself and then share that freedom with others? Freedom and Justice have always been worth fighting for but we need to extricate ourselves from the confusion and chaos so that we are fortified for the daily quest to truly SEE our Independence Day. #GetinGoodTrouble
