“Those who can’t remember [don’t learn from] the past are condemned [doomed] to repeat it.” Jorge Augustin Santayana — Harvard Professor, Philosopher and Essayist

If hindsight is 2020 what will our future look back on this year tell us about ourselves?

2020. Perfect Vision. Those of us who don’t come by it naturally strive for it. We seek out corrective measures to obtain it, or at least get closer to it. How ironic that 2020 has been the year that has pointed out all the ways in which our vision has been occluded, as individuals and as a country.

This year has shown shown light on a deep vulnerability woven into the fabric of our stars and stripes. We are not quite as invincible as we, and perhaps even the world at large, has believed us to be. This has been a year of fine tuning our vision, just not quite in a way that we could have possibly imagined. The United States has held the idealized position of World Leadership almost since its inception as a young rebel country breaking away from English rule almost 250 years ago.

“The land of the free and the home of the brave.” This has been how we have defined ourselves. We looked with empathy at the atrocities and genocide of other countries, believing that in similar circumstances the U.S. would rise above. I recall learning about Apartheid and Nazi Germany in school and feeling truly sad about the atrocities experienced when division and hate reigned supreme. We in the U.S. believed justice, freedom, and liberty to be the bedroom of this great nation shielding us in a cloak of invincibility. We took a stand for those ideals in how we interacted with the world. We believed ourselves to be a sanctuary for those experiencing the ravages of inhumane treatment and war.

2020 has been the great equalizer, as we in the U.S. have seen that our ideals are not absolute. Like every strong relationship, when we don’t pay attention to what matters we put ourselves at risk from outside influences. Our ideals and beliefs need to be tended in order to keep them alive.

The U.S. is a celebrity driven culture. We are captivated by reality television. We enjoy voyeuristically peering into the lives of others, particularly those whose names are frequently splashed across the tabloids. Donald Trump has certainly been one of this country’s most intriguing celebrity figures. He has also been a catalyst for change, and helping us take a deeper look at ourselves, especially this year.

Love him or hate him, Donald Trump has been a catalyst for unearthing some of the best and worst of what we stand for, as individuals and as a country. His rhetoric has been the subject of millions of tweets, memes, and some interesting Saturday Night Live skits! 22 plus books have been written about him during his time in office, 12 of which have been best sellers.

This is the year the United States of America has come out of the closet.

The door to deep seated hatred and division has swung wide open, revealing a frightening array of skeletons hanging in the darkness. We have tapped into a deeply rooted classism that those of us with lighter skin tones, living in more stable socio-economic neighborhoods, had been almost oblivious to. 2020 is providing us with opportunities to clean out the closet from the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, prejudice, judgement, and superiority that we have found lurking there.

In elementary school most of us learned to take pride in the founding principles of this country. The words of the pre-amble of the Declaration of Independence have been emblazoned in our memory. Who among us cannot at least recite the first line:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people (men) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

This isn’t a declaration of a belief in One Way: One Way to Believe. One Way to Love. One Way to Vote. It is a stand for equality, freedom and just treatment of all. We are Equal. All of Us. And the United States of America guarantees our Freedom to be who we are. Unalienable Rights. Rights that cannot be taken away or denied by any governmental body, person, or institution, based on a criteria of their choosing. Regardless if you are black, brown, yellow, white, red, female, male, Muslim, Christian, Catholic, Buddhist, Pagan, Hindu, Agnostic, Atheist, Unitarian, Gay, Straight, or anything in between, you have rights to Worship, Love, and pursue your dreams unencumbered by governmental suppression or bias. These are the truths we were all taught as children that we stand for and model to the world.

And then there was 2020, the year when everything we say we stand for has been put to the test. A test we have undoubtedly been failing. Pretty miserably.

Does everyone have unalienable rights?

Times of chaos turn our world upside down, calling us out of the lull of veiled complacency. Time and time again this year we have been bombarded with shocking images, situations, events, and reactions that have shaken the foundation of who we are and what we stand for. Perhaps 2020 is inviting us to clean the lens of our clouded vision, to dig deeper, to consider what we really stand for, and what we are willing to take a stand for. Who are we called to be? As Individuals? In Our Partnerships? As Leaders? As Parents? Friends? Family Members?

We still have time to pull ourselves out of the darkness of 2020.

Perhaps 2020 is shaking us awake; calling us forward. Make no mistake, it is a grassroots calling. We can no longer blame our leaders for what is happening or not happening. We are part of the problem(s) our world is facing, AND we each play a role in creating the solution.

In addition to the videos we have seen plastered all over the media of gun violence and people spewing hate all over each other, we have also witnessed beautiful videos, of compassion, unification, and people helping people. This year has given us wonderful videos offering us a unique window into the wonders of the natural world, like My Octopus Teacher.

We have seen videos of people in poorer neighborhoods who, in the midst of the pandemic, have taken to the streets to encourage voting and even driving people to polling places. Everyone has a right to have their voice heard. Everyone. And those of us with greater means can reach a hand out to help those of us living with less.

I saw a video this morning of a young mom running for a congressional seat. She was walking door to door in her neighborhood in pink sweats, mask on, daughter in a stroller, mom by her side, talking about what she stands for and why people should vote for her. Grassroots effort. Each and every one of us has something to offer. We all matter.

We still have time to pull ourselves out of the darkness of 2020 and into a new way of seeing, discerning, and choosing what we stand for, and who we want to be. We still have time to make this year count; to learn her lessons; to consider, lean into, and appreciate our lives. Family. Nature. Friends. People we Love. People we encounter along the way. People who disagree with us. People whose political views differ from our own.

The world is changing. We can either choose to be complainers or agents of change.

We are all in this together.

 

I love inspirational quotes, especially ones that spark new ideas and remind us about important things we may have laid aside. Here are a few of my favorites:

“We must be the change we want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi.

“My Religion is Kindness.” The 14th Dalai Lama

“As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to make the earth a beautiful garden for the human family. When we destroy our forests, ravage our soil and pollute our seas, we betray that noble calling.” Pope Francis

“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.” Thich Nhat Hanh

“A little bit of Mercy makes the world less cold and more just.” Pope Francis

“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” Eleanor Roosevelt

“You can disagree without being disagreeable.” Ruth Bader Ginsberg

“I believe that each person is more than the worst thing they’ve ever done.” Bryan Stevenson

“We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed. Everything needs to change — and it has to start today.” Greta Thunberg

“The vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have.” John Lewis

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that really matter.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“And still We (I) Rise.” Maya Angelou

Let us begin the process of gently laying 2020 to rest.

Let us thank her for showing us parts of ourselves that weren’t quite so pretty to look at. Let us thank her for reminding us that we are all in this together. When one of us is out of alignment, we are all out of alignment. When one of us extends gratitude, mercy, understanding, kindness, compassion and peace, we all benefit. I call on each of us to take some time to consider What’s Next.

When we each choose clean up our side of the street, we begin the healing process. We begin making room for a better world. For ourselves. For our children. And for all those who follow, for generations to come.