It's good and it's bad, what is happening, and I know to some it is probably politically incorrect to say that. The terrible violence sweeping the U.S. is something nobody should celebrate and I never will but the collective act of speaking out against racism, abuse of police power and the needless pain families are suffering is the right thing to do at this moment.
Compassion for the victims and a renewed commitment to change this society is the right thing to do. And there is nothing wrong with anger.
What always happens at times like this is the political leaders blame outsiders for the violence in their communities. "Outside agitators" were denounced half a century ago for the violence around the edges of the civil rights and anti-war movements, and they are being blamed again today.
As if isolated acts of violence were the problem.
There may even be some truth to the claims. Perhaps the main instigators behind the violence in Minnesota come from Wisconsin, the Dakotas and Iowa, But even if so, what would that mean?
Does anger at the killing of an innocent man by police know any borders? Is the main problem we face that certain individuals will use peaceful gatherings to commit criminal acts of looting, breaking windows and setting police cars on fire in one place as opposed to another?
Does a police car in D.C. burned by a person from Virginia look different from a police car in Detroit burned by a person from Ohio?
The worst type of political leader exploits moments like this one by actually inciting violence, making a difficult situation worse than it already is. The truth and the complexity of what we are facing need to be spoken plainly, free of rhetoric.
Almost overlooked in the chaos, the boundaries of masks and social distancing are crumbling around us. If public health officials are right, new peaks of illness and death will result. This is a scenario they didn't plan for.
***
Today I got to see all seven of my grandchildren play together for the first time in months. They are growing up in a pandemic and it is affecting them in noticeable ways, even et the age of 19.5 months, not to mention 13.5 years.
Our children and grandchildren are inheriting this crisis. As I've noted before, they are also inheriting a flawed political system that is cracked and broken in so many ways. I'm not sure which is worse actually: The virus or the politics.
***
The first crop from the community garden out front has been harvested -- radishes. Tomatoes, lettuce and carrots are growing.
The quail are living in their outside run, surrounded by fencing to keep predators at bay.
The natural world is part of the pandemic (see recent reports of which animals are believed to have harbored the virus before it jumped to humans) and also persists in spite of it.
The agricultural/gardening world flourishes around us.
Lately what I've been focusing on is how much beauty remains in spite all of everything. My grandchildren jump and cheer. Astronauts travel through space. Most protestors remain peaceful.
I am quite sure people are still falling in love -- with each other, with ideas, with the natural world.
Artists persist. Beauty is all around.
You just have to look for it.
-30-
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