Stop Dithering

Solve the Problem

“But even destruction can remind us of all the ways the world has found of working itself out.”

Margaret Renkl (Late Migrations, p.147)

          At the risk of sounding like a mind-blind Pollyanna, the present moment is in some ways a gift. The on-going chaos of our politics, our racial abyss, this pandemic, the constitutional crisis regarding separation of powers, loss of so many lives, the massive and growing gap between rich and poor, the mounting crisis in healthcare, immigration, and environmental destruction—I could go on but I will stop, because all of that just covers 2020, and we still have four months to go. The current raft of crises has broken open a cesspool of national hypocrisy. The genie is out of the box. It can’t be ignored by saying that we’re too busy. It can’t be denied because it’s in our faces 24/7. It can’t be explained, because it’s just too big and ugly. Now, we have no choice but to deal with it, as painful as that is.

          Like Sebastian Junger, I believe that humanity is at its best when we are forced to face our demons. When confronted with large problems, we rise to the occasion, join together, and solve them. Nature provides the model. Whenever there is death and destruction in the natural world, there are teams of “cleaner-uppers.” Ants, bit by bit, carry away dead bugs and garbage on the streets. Vultures and crows make short shrift of carrion on the highways. Raccoons raid the compost heaps and dumpsters. Catfish and other bottom feeders take care of waste in our lakes and rivers. In my own backyard, “rolly-polly” beetles clean up the dog poop. And, folks, we’ve got a lot of poop to clean up that never would have come to light if we weren’t in this big mess of a crisis.

          The temptation is to turn a blind eye and only focus on what is beautiful. In Margaret Renkl’s words: “moonlight on still water, the full-body embrace of bumblebees in the milkweed flowers, the first dance of newlyweds…” All these are lovely and worthy of attention, but they will not save us from this challenge, nor should they. When we are ready to “make a deal” with life, and sort this mess out; when we come down on the side of what is right, and decide to live justly, love mercy, and walk humbly, things will change for us. We will not go “back to normal,” but we will go forward with more honesty, integrity, and dignity than we’ve had before. And that will be a good thing. We may not have dealt these cards, but we know how to play the hand. We just have to remember who we are.

                                                  In the Spirit,