This too shall pass

A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles.

It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt.

If the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake.

-- Thomas Jefferson, in a letter of 1798, after the passage of the Sedition Act

I was recently speaking with a woman I know who is involved with Inspiring America, a network of leaders who are working to create "a bold, compelling vision for America." Their aim is to build a new progressive movement that moves beyond the single issue constituencies of the many existing liberal movements--civil rights, feminist, LGBT, environmental, peace, labor, etc.--and envision a vibrant future for America as an alternative to the framework and agenda articulated by conservatives and neoconservatives.

I suspect Jefferson would support their efforts were he here today.

I SPENT THE DAY AT STINSON BEACH with my friend Marcus, and we discussed a wide range of topics: our lives, science, history, politics. As we wrapped up lunch, Marcus asked me what I wanted to generate out of all of this. For a moment I was unsure, and then I realized that what I have to offer is the same thing that everyone else has to offer: speaking my mind, contributing to the "marketplace of ideas" that has long been key to America's enduring promise. We talked about how things change in the world and agreed that it all starts with a conversation. What it took for the abolition of slavery to occur was people talking to and, over time, transforming the opinions of people around them. The same is true for women's suffrage, gay and lesbian rights, and every other similar movement. But it's also true of the rise of Nazism in Germany or the ongoing genocide in Darfur.

What makes a difference is our speaking, of taking a stand for what we believe in. And just as critical is listening, of being willing to hear other points of view and remaining open to adjusting our perspective.

My biggest concern with America today is that we seem to have lost sight of the common good. I wrote the following letter a few days before the November 2004 election:

What troubles me about the current state of affairs in the good ol' United States of America is that civil discourse seems to be dying. The candidates say nastier and nastier things about one another. The old agreed upon rules, such as redistricting once every ten years after the census, are abandoned if one side sees an advantage. Profanity is used in the Senate which used to be a place where people spoke with great respect for one another. The political parties are rallying armies of lawyers to prepare legal challenges to an election that hasn't even happened yet. Companies hired by the parties to register voters throw out registration cards for members of the other party. The candidates for the most powerful position on earth come up with 35 pages of rules to govern a simple debate. If they are so unable to think on
their feet, should they really be running the country?

There used to be a shared ideal called the common good. There were elections and political parties and, yes, politics. But there was also a commitment to coming together and doing what was right for the country. That seems to be more and more abandoned as the years pass. We are all to blame because we play right into this. We make up our minds based on negative advertising (don't say it's not true... they keep using those ads because they have gotten results over the years). We don't really try to learn much about the issues. And we don't get that mad when we find out that we've been lied to (unless it was someone from the other party that lied to us, of course!).

When November 2 rolls around, remember that we have a chance to be something special in the world. We can be a great nation. Or we can be a strong nation that bullies its way toward what it wants. We can fight the symptoms of the disease that is terrorism... that is, wait until we sense a danger growing and then bomb the hell out of them. Or instead look at how we create most of our own enemies... we used to pay Osama Bin Laden to fight the Soviets... we helped Saddam when he was fighting Iran... the list goes on. We pay and train and equip nasty people who later turn the tables on us. We are so short-sighted that we never seem to learn from this mistake.

We only worry about our own safety and will do just about anything to protect it, even if that means walking roughshod on the backs of others. Three thousand people died on that horrible day, 9/11. Over 30,000 have died in the wars of Afghanistan and Iraq since then. What of the countless lives among that 30,000 that were innocent: the women, children, mothers, fathers, and elders who had nothing to do with Al Qaeda or Saddam's empty dreams of WMD? Who is responsible for that debt?

In the end we are all connected. You can move into a gated community and lock the doors and not give a damn about the people outside. But your children will care... or their children. When we ignore suffering and poverty and hunger in the world and only protect our own interests, we create a fertile ground for people to sow the seeds of hate.

And there will likely always be people who hate us. But we can limit how many ears will listen to them. The world has become a dangerous place--we have made it so. We split the atom and discovered DNA, and so we're stuck with nuclear bombs and biological weapons now. There is no single decisive victory that is ever going to make us safe. All we can do is engage and work with our neighbors, the billions of other people that share this planet with us. We have to be committed to doing that today and tomorrow and the day after that.

So when you vote, ask yourself who you want to be in this world. Ask yourself how you want others to think about you. Ask yourself lots of questions. If you choose a black and white world, you may encourage others to do the same, and more likely than not you'll end up on their list of enemies. If you are willing to accept that the world is more complex, then just maybe there's a bit more room for dialogue with others. And perhaps that dialogue is the path to divining this mystery of life.

And having re-read that, I think it's worth repeating. :-)