So much of how we function as humans is based on stories – and these stories don’t need to be true. I the book Sapiens the author argues that one of the most believed in fictions or religion is the US Dollar. The US Dollar itself has no value, but we all go to work and spend our time obtaining and spending and exchanging this thing because everyone else believes it has value.
I’ve be thinking a lot about what it means to be American, and what America means. In the past, I felt like it was a country where we were the good guys. If you dig a little deeper you see that that narrative is complicated. We have a history complicated with a lot of injustice, and countless examples of where we didn’t live up to our ideals. But with all that said, we were directional going in the way of progress. Much as Martin Luther King said: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
I’ve been particularly troubled with the first months of the Trump administration. Troubled by what has happened, but also troubled that We The People elected this. Our standing as a nation has taken a terrible reputational hit. Our standing with our allies is compromised, and I’m not sure what we have to show for it.
I’m frustrated because we chose this, clearly chose this. It was not a surprise. And I’m frustrated that those with money and power are just going along with this.