Perhaps it is the case that every generation believes that they are living during a special time. These past 100 years have brought considerable change and what is generally considered great progress; I could easily imagine people during this recent past believing that they were living during the most amazing time in history. There were marvelous developments in science, technology, medicine, agriculture, etc. Now, certainly, any period is unique, and, one’s own experience is more notable than the written or oral history of another. Yet, it does seem as though we are now on the cusp of something unusually significant, and it doesn’t feel like progress.
The entire population of the planet is faced with incredible challenges brought on by climate change, the covid-19 pandemic, economic disparity, racial injustice, and highly charged political division; the mood is not very positive. There is a constant stream of negative messages and images playing before us. Stress, fear, and misinformation have caused many to behave in rather bizarre fashion, often lashing out at others, or in denial of what is going on around them. It is disturbing to witness the self-centered behavior of so many people. The United States of America, once the home of the free and the brave, is quickly becoming the home of the crass, ignorant, and egotistic. It is seen regularly in the news and in our papers, and, I have been surprised to find it amongst people I know. I am reminded of the film “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers” where an alien species takes over the human race, turning individuals into soulless, mechanical beings. What are we becoming?
It is difficult for me to accept the amount of hate and racism that exists in our country. It’s not that I was ignorant of the fact that some people were racist; I was ignorant of how widespread and deep it runs. I wonder at the mechanism that creates racism, for surely people are not born that way, but rather become that. We are motivated by either love or fear, and racism is certainly not a result of love. When the response to the Black Lives Matter movement is “All Lives Matter,” then it becomes clear that the responder’s ignorance is acute, and that is a significant part of the issue. Of course all lives matter, but it isn’t all lives that have been disregarded.
Not all is bleak. There are those that are speaking out against racial injustice, and many front-line workers knowingly risking their personal health to serve others, and good people in politics attempting to bring about positive changes to provide healthcare, education, and economic opportunities for all. These don’t necessarily grab the headlines like the negative events do, but they do exist. I recently witnessed a small kindness from a man selling propane. The customer before me was elderly and appeared to be somewhat disabled, moving very slowly. The proprietor was quick to assist, grabbing the tanks out of the customer’s trunk before filling them and returning them to the vehicle. It was a small gesture, and one could say just part of his job to perform that. It was just so very nice to see someone helping someone else. This is the very sort of behavior that we need more of; it makes our world a better place, when we put ourselves in a position of helping others, rather than just taking care of ourselves. We always have a choice of how we wish to be in the world, and whether or not we are going to be motivated by fear or love. However, to make a choice one must be conscious, not blindly following the voices of hate. This requires some self awareness and focus, two traits that tend to be pushed to the background when stress and fear are present.