Ever feel as if you were living in some weird schizophrenic world, never knowing what and when nor why something will occur? The feeling of having lost control, of having an ordered life, goes right out the door. Last night and this morning are perfect examples of this confusing world.
Last night we were on top of the world. We had one of our gorgeous, kind, and caring granddaughters graduating in a postponed ceremony which almost never took place. After losing the fun times of senior year, after a rocky four years when the world went nuts, finally, something went right. Shining faces half hidden behind masks, the kids waited to walk to their seats in a funny auditorium. It was the parking lot of a banquet hall, with parents and families in cars, facing the stage, able to watch the kids walk in. Pomp and Circumstance notes filled the air as the graduates were greeted by beeps of horns and flashing lights, with families sitting atop cars, standing in the roof windows, and grins upon all faces.
If we had been wearing shirts with buttons, they would have popped, so proud were we. This graduate was a kid who had to overcome severe dyslexia and did so with a bang! Graduating with honors, accepted to all nine schools she had applied to - even her reach schools - with offers of scholarships, wow!!! She stood as an inspiration to children in her elementary school who heard her speak at the school, encouraging them, a shining star and role model, a testament to the school's mission.
Yet even as we rejoiced, even shed a few tears as we watched via streaming, a niggling thought kept interfering with the world of joy. What kind of a world were these kids walking into? This world was a throwback to past times, with dictators rising, prejudice and racial and religious hatred rearing ugly heads and sharp teeth, school shootings, economic disastrous times, a pandemic that keeps getting worse, and an overwhelming lack of leadership never before seen in our country. Worse, it was not merely a do nothing administration, sitting passively as the world crumbles around us, no, for it actively set out on paths that were destructive, inimical to the survival of earth, of this country, of countries of the world, of the safety that people need to have.
In this dangerous topsy-turvy world we cannot believe a word Trump says, a leader who has failed in leadership, beyond any possibility of redemption. He lied about his knowledge of the Russian bounties and not only did not punish them, nope, he rewarded them with invitations to join the democracies of the G7, raves about Putin as his BFF, and puts this country in danger. This morning we all know that he was told of this way back in February!!!
Therefore, it is manifestly shocking and impossible to understand why 3 out of ten, 30% of people polled, still think this man can find a way to lead us out of the pandemic, intact and thriving, in a good place to move forward. How can we even think of moving forward when we have moved so far in the wrong direction that must be overcome before we can move once again in the right direction?
The numbers of cases are skyrocketing once again. Phases of opening are being halted, even rolled back, and nearly half - HALF - of Americans are out of work. Our reputation is in tatters around the world, and our unity within this country is shredded. Wearing masks, saving lives, has become political, much to our shame and detriment. The ugliness that has invaded our souls and hearts is frightening. And this is the world these bright and shining kids are walking into. This is the world we have given them. Shame on us! Fie upon us! We could have and should have done so much better.
So this morning the world continues on its wobbly path, its axis shaking under the pressure we have put upon it. People are dying. People are being killed for their birth. People are starving, holding skeletal children in their arms as they breathe their last breath. People are reaching a point of desperation and are ripe for a takeover by a false prophet, one who promises all, mesmerizes in his hate filled spewings of filth, and what will follow is anyone's guess. Will we wake up and take the necessary steps to fix this world or will we just lay down and surrender to it.
Think I like last night better than this morning. The hopes and dreams last night were bright and beautiful. The passionate speeches of class representatives were wonderful. Is that, will that, be enough to combat in a victorious manner, to defeat the pessimism of the day, the bleakness of its prognosis, the difficulties of living in a world where a hug could be a death sentence?
Remembering the shining faces, the smiles, the dreams, the integrity of these kids, I hope so. We could have the answers with this generation. Our generation has failed. So has the one following us.
I wish I could reach out and wrap these kids, wrap my grandchildren, in cotton and place them somewhere safe until it is a world safe to enter. But I cannot. Nor should I. For these kids are the puzzle solvers, those willing to take on the difficulties of fixing this country, this world. Tikkun Olam - the repairing of the world - is paramount in the mindset of these newly minted adults.
May G-d help them, for I believe He is just a tad angry and disappointed with and by us. Rightfully so. He has sent us some warning notes and we have somehow managed to ignore them. Wellness? Safety? Not now. Not yet. Soon? Maybe. I hope.
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