Far Away
The events of the past week in DC have made me feel further away from my country than I ever have before. During my time in Venezuela I was accustomed to seeing and hearing of protests, riots, assaults, murders, political unrest and even a failed coup. We have always had our share of the minor of those atrocities in the United States, but the great expanse of our country can make it feel like the events happening in Chicago, Minneapolis, and DC may as well be happening in the Balkans - to a person who lives in the Pacific time zone. And now to witness a degenerated mob, with such ignorant disregard for true patriotism and civility, commit such crimes, brings me back to Venezuela. Though it feels strange to say and difficult to admit, my own neighborhood, city and predominantly my own life remain unchanged. In part because, beyond writing this, I am at a loss for any other meaningful action that I could take to restore some semblance of real patriotism to the country, but also because we are an incredibly resilient people.
I say true patriotism, because I recognize that those who stormed up the white granite steps probably consider themselves patriots acting in defense of liberty. But this is not patriotism. I have written previously, my feelings on what patriotism really is.
Struggle as we might to unify a significant collective of citizens’ voices, to return a feeling of humility and gratitude to the general population, I recognize that no such change will occur as we stray further from God, and our founding principles. Yes, as much as it is overlooked, God is and was most definitely at the forefront of the minds of those who were so “dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” A proposition that may yet remain unfulfilled in some minds. But a proposition that we as a nation, in large part I believe, continue to collectively pursue.
It is humility that will right this ship, not defiance. Humility in the face of liars and manipulators. Humility in the vice of anger and resentment. Humility in the turbulence of calumny. And even humility under the oppressive weight of injustice. We cannot afford to act in anger, seeking what we mistakenly believe is justice, when what we really want is vengeance. Such action only serves to injure ourselves and our own cause.
Though I may agree in part to the politics of the outgoing administration, perhaps even more than the incoming. I cannot excuse the immorality and incredulity that have played such a significant role in it. No amount of political accord can justify such behavior or motivate me to be aligned with their position.
The blessing of perspective has done much to sustain me this past year. Perspective gained through a study of history, even the history of our beloved United States. Perspective gained from experiencing other countries and cultures. This perspective gives me hope. This has not been a good time for us, perhaps the most difficult period the young generation has ever experienced. But, as a country, it has not been our darkest hour, not even close. I admit it is even hard for me to call what we have experienced, “political turmoil” or a “national crisis” when compared to the ongoing conditions and protestations in so many other places such as Hong Kong and Belarus.
As the most honorable President Abraham Lincoln prophetically declared so succinctly, during what may well have been the darkest hour of the United States, “this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
