Growing up, if any of us kids got out of line, the neighbors had unspoken permission to set us right. They would then tell our parents, and then our parents would set us right. It was everyone’s job to help us grow up to be good people.
At school, if we got into trouble, we would face consequences from the teacher, at times from the principal, and then again when we got home. No excuse was acceptable for being disrespectful to the adults at school (or really anywhere).
If something happened in the community, we would rally around to provide food, clothing, shelter, provide rides, watch kids, whatever was needed, we helped.
We used to have politicians that although partisan, also knew how to talk to one another, to actually compromise to where no one went away loving a plan, but one they all could live with, and would be good for the country as a whole.
We had politicians with integrity who loved their country more than they loved their power. When one of their own would step over a line, they would come to the defense of the country, not try to cover-up and defend the wrong doer when the evidence overwhelmingly showed the person did wrong.
There was a time when one’s word was their bond. If they said what would or would not happen, we pretty much knew that would happen 99% of the time.
Now we can’t reprimand another person’s child when the child needs redirection. Now parents will come after a teacher if their child fails, misbehaves, or disrupts the learning of others. Now 200,000 people die from a pandemic virus with no outrage and a fight over wearing something on their face to help protect us all. When a president lies, bullies, acts like a petulant two-year old, brags about grabbing women by the pussy, openly encourages foreign governments to interfere in our elections, and just today says to get rid of the ballots and won’t commit to peacefully leaving office if he loses the election.
What have we become? How did we get here? Why is there not more of an outrage? Why has the press not performed their duty to tell truth to power? Why has almost no one called for his resignation? Why does his party care more about themselves than about our country? Why does the so called Republican Party love Putin more than their own country? Why do the over 200 million of us not care as a whole what is happening right before our very eyes?
What have we become? How do we find our way back? What will we be when this is all over?
How did we become so unrecognizable as a nation, a beacon of light, a place to emulate?
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 