Can We Offer Alternatives to Anger and Despair That Meet Our Current Moment?

To even write about the current crisis in America seems to require saying something that proves or identifies the crisis for those not yet convinced we are in a crisis.

That simple act of proving reality to skeptics is when the wheels start falling off for me.

We are so saturated in propaganda, infotainment, and reactionary rage bait on social media that we seemingly have to begin any discussion about our current crisis with proof of the crisis. That is maddening, and I presume that at least some people desperately want things to be this way to keep us divided, distracted, disdainful, and despairing.

I’m sure there are more words that start with “d” that would help describe the current moment.

In the hope of moving toward something better, I’m going to skip spelling out the details of our current crisis and move on to beginning some sort of response.

We have a fire hose of bad news each day. It seems our country is run by people who diligently try to figure out the worst thing they could do, devote all of their energy to doing it, and, when called to account, claim to be doing the best thing.

If we don’t have the lowest of the low running our country right now, it’s only because they aren’t intelligent enough to find a way to go any lower than they already are.

How should we respond to this onslaught of daily crises, violence, inhumanity, and injustice?

I have a thought that stems from an observation someone made of the current political class running our country. This class is selfish, self-serving, and grotesquely individualistic. They are gathering as much power and wealth for themselves and their allies while they can, and everything they do aims to serve themselves.

Our response is to ask how we can become more interdependent on each other, how we can love our neighbors, and how we can build stronger bonds in our communities. I don’t think that most of us have the capacity for large projects. I’m thinking about things like donating food, volunteering where we can, sharing resources with others, and building understanding when possible.

I continue to invest time into artistic projects like oil pastels and woodworking because these are skills I can use to help others, to give people gifts they enjoy, or to pass on creative skills to others.

Of course, there’s the daily practice of prayer as well, working hard to let go of the anger and despair that so easily takes hold and creating a clear space for God to speak into my life. Although I remain devastated by the horrible failure of Christians in America to hold such an evil man in power to the basic standards of moral decency, we can find renewal to love our neighbors if we remember how deeply we are loved by God.

I’m not offering a perfect path forward to help us make it through this terribly perilous moment in our country, but we have to start somewhere. The place I’m starting is recognizing the temptation to become overwhelmed by the flood of anger and negativity in this moment and then embracing practices that move me toward a healthier, more sustainable place.

If we can end today by saying no to despair and yes to love and community, we will have hope to continue when the sun comes up tomorrow.

Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash