As you subsist in your home, work from home, or work in your office, you may find yourself encountering the second wave of Covid-19 boredom. In the first wave, which started approximately in March, we somehow believed that it would be self-limiting. And we believed that there was an exit plan. Now, 5 months into this pandemic, we are wondering if that exit door even exists. Here in Florida, the state has opened up much too soon only to have to begin to close down again. We have become the hot spot of the country as the country becomes the hot spot of the world. Throughout this Covid-19 journey, we find ourselves wondering about the identity of our country and about us as a people.
We received your thought provoking comments from last week’s blog and we always welcome your responses and engagement. This week, as we put together our thoughts and opinions, it led us to do some soul searching. Soul searching is defined as a deep and anxious consideration of one’s emotions and motives. It can on many levels result in a further defining of one’s self. As most of us seem to have some spare time right now, it may be a good time to do some soul searching.
The soul of this nation and its citizens was at one time defined by the Statue of Liberty and that of the Greatest Generation. The Greatest Generation persevered through difficult times and, as a result, it was a generation that knew how to withstand hardship and build a better world because of it. Considering the current political state of the country, it may be the right time to create a second wave of the Greatest Generation for it seems that we are desperately in need of one. The Greatest Generation made it through war and economic tough times only to work hard and come back on top. They are said to have been defined by personal responsibility, humility, work ethic, frugality, commitment, integrity, and self-sacrifice. For the Covid-19 generation, the birth of a second greatest generation could mean looking at things differently and redefining new ways of being successful. It could mean examining who we really are or who we want to be individually and as a nation. Additionally, as we see other countries who were in the past were our friends start turning their backs on us, perhaps it is time to examine our own behaviors and begin to reassess and rectify them.
Maybe it is time to consider the value of all of our monuments and, as we do, reexamine their meaning as they relate to all Americans. For example, the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor symbolizes American Independence. It was a gift from France, a friend at the time, and represents that friendship, liberty, and openness. Last week, as we watched the celebration of yet another Fourth of July, we again were shocked by this Administration’s lack of any attempt to bring this country together. Instead, it became an opportunity to disrespect Native Americans and their sacred land without regard to its founders. And, as we saw once again, threatening speeches of hate and division from this White House have become standard practice. Expressions of racism, admiration for the Confederate flag and its heritage, and White Supremacy have become common place and a raised white fist serves as the symbol of power. Rallies are organized as a platform to tout alleged accomplishments and a right-wing agenda while condemning others and ignoring the basic meaning and protections written into our Constitution.
As we search for the soul of this country, we find it increasingly problematic to be ruled by a President who acts like an adolescent and operates solely on the advice of his son-in-law, our de facto President, along with Fox News propaganda. As he continues to defy the overall impact of Covid-19 and spouting that “99% of the virus is harmless”, he ignores the number of overall illnesses, deaths, and the related loss of nearly 600 health care workers’ lives. He has turned his back on what Joe Biden calls “a duty to care.” As Americans are faced with their daily struggles, Trump seeks only to pleasure himself with playing golf, watching television, eating burgers, and conducting rallies where he consistently degrades the American people that this country and his office took an oath to protect.
As we watch the daily stoking of racism, we have to question what does the Statue of Liberty really represent today? Does it now stand for only some and not for all? Not liberty and justice for all? If this is the case, then this country needs to undergo some serious and deep soul searching come November 2020. Thus, we will decide.
And in the words of the WW2 poster of Rosie the Riveter of the Greatest Generation – We Can Do It!
Be Kind, Search your Soul, and Vote!
