It always happens. Every 4 years, right about this time, the constant back and forth between Republicans and Democrats increases exponentially the closer we get to election day, reaching a deafening crescendo that threatens to obliterate human reason ... and yet, I have never seen anything like this year.  It is not just in terms of the sheer volume of comments flying one way and the other, but the vitriol being spewed from everyone's mouth (or keyboard, rather).

One does not need to look too far to know that the so-called leadership we have experienced in the past 4 years is responsible for this catastrophic rift that is reaping apart the fabric of our society. Sowing division among people is the number 1 tactic used by every authoritarian regime known to man, regardless of political leanings. Dictators have existed since the world is world, and they come from the far left as well as from the far right. Their political ideologies may differ, but one thing in which they are remarkably similar is their outsized (and yet fragile) ego, their need to be above everyone else, their need to be godlike, blindly loved and revered by their subjects.  These individuals know that the only way to perpetuate themselves in power is to divide and conquer. The more divided a society is, the more susceptible they are to manipulation.  

And yet, even though we can easily place blame on the current president for leading us to the edge of this abyss, as a nation, we must start looking inward and take responsibility for our part in this debacle. We have all too willingly taken the bait and done the work for him. Even when our grievances are legitimate, we seem to think that only our grievances are legitimate. We tend to minimize the other side's ideas, opinions, and concerns, simply because they are not our ideas, opinions, and concerns. 

I don't know, maybe it is because we're tired of fighting, of defending our positions, that we slip into complacency and begin to let our basest instincts take over and start insulting and denigrating instead of doing the hard work of trying to listen, talk, and reason. We have forgotten an old, but mighty effective rule of civil society: agreeing to disagree. We have turned deaf ears to the worries and anxieties of the other side, as if they were less valid. We have decided to ignore their humanity.

I wish I could say I am optimist about our future. I am not. Too much damage has been done. The task of rebuilding trust in government and - more importantly - in each other is titanic... That doesn't mean we should stop trying.

Silver Linings

So it looks like I made it to the end of times after all. Little did I imagine when I was a young girl that I would ever live to see times such as the ones we are living, and yet, here we are. Life has finally come to imitate art. Every dystopian young adult book I've read, every end-of-civilization movie I have ever watched seems to be condensed and distilled into what, in just a matter of weeks, has come to be our very current, very real lives.

Behold! Humanity is being challenged to justify its existence. It is almost as if the planet that we have so cavalierly and dismissively taken for granted is now exerting revenge on us. Mother Earth has unleashed its most destructive weapon upon us saying, "there, see what you do with that", and with a sly smile has sat back to watch. 

So, what now? Do we rise up to the occasion and unite our very formidable forces to overcome this challenge? Or do we fall into the usual trappings of imagined boundaries and made-up differences and guard our own leaving the rest to fend for themselves?  Do we cooperate to find a cure, regardless of whether the scientists are from the United States, China, India, Iran, Germany, or wherever? Or do we race to compete for the title of "first" in finding a cure?  Do we take this opportunity to make a radical change for our own sake and that of every other living creature on the planet? Or do we just work to overcome this obstacle but ignore the greater challenge? In short, will we survive covid-19 just to succumb to an ever-warming, overextended planet? To war and famine caused by greed and injustice? To the ironic phenomenon of soul-crushing stress and isolation in a world that is increasingly more connected?  Will we bridge our differences to realize that there is more that unites us than what separates us? Will we let kindness win?

It is hard to see any upside when we are in the midst of this terrible situation, when the number of dead keeps on climbing and we're told the worse is yet to come. And yet, for as long as the world has been turning, we have faced terrible challenges that at the time seemed unsurmountable. Horrors and catastrophes that have threatened our very existence. But a new era has always dawned, and some great initiatives have been born of great strife. The United Nations was born from the horrors of World War II, and imperfect as it is, it has done a commendable job in fostering human rights, economic development, health and education. Could this be the time we realize that we have veered seriously off our path and correct our course to avert disaster? 

Whether we like it or not, this pandemic has forced us -- ALL of us -- to slow down and take stock of what is really important. And even though some people keep resisting this unwelcome change of pace, by and by, everyone is falling into line and heeding the advice to stay put for the common good. And in doing so, humankind unwittingly has allowed the Earth to breathe. Quarantine -- whether self-imposed or mandated -- means that vehicular circulation is dramatically reduced, as is industrial output, thus significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution. Quarantine also means that families are forced to interact with each other, eat with each other, and perhaps have actual conversations with one another, something that modern society has skewed in recent years in favor of a faster-paced lifestyle that precludes interaction unless such interaction is over a phone screen. And in the absence of theaters, bars, restaurants and other avenues for entertainment, people are more apt to go out and enjoy walks and nature hikes, increasing their physical health without even planning on doing it. 

I wonder, once this crisis is over, will we keep the silver linings? Or will we throw it all away?