Abandoned

“When elephants fight it’s the grass that suffers.”

--Kikuyu Tribe proverb, Kenya Africa

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Our great country, so full of potential, appears to be staggering around like an over-served person who is trying to find his/her way back home. Chaos, confusion, and anger characterize our daily routines. American voters have divided themselves into warring camps instigated by politicians who have reduced the political process to childish name-calling, outlandish racist/sexist statements, and just flat-out lies. In a word, we are normalizing undesirable traits like rudeness, gaslighting and political tribalism. I am aware that behaviors like rudeness are not new to us or caused by the pandemic. The question to be answered is, “what are we going to do about this accelerating drift into incivility and distrust of one another?” Can we reverse this trend???

Well, if we can’t reverse this trend, we can, at least, slow its momentum. To do this, there are several aspects of society that we must urgently re-examine. First, we need to seriously look at our current political system. Do we still live in what is supposed to be a representative democracy? Simply put, are the people we elect representing our interests or their own fragile egos. Secondly, we must role model for our children what being an adult looks like, sounds like and acts like.?

Allow me to start with the relationship we have with our current crop of elected officials—both Republican and Democrat. I don’t know about you, but I get a boatload of emails, snail mail and unsolicited calls. Each candidate or incumbent reassures me that they are without sin and will save America, while emphasizing that their opponent is evil incarnate and not as patriotic as they.?They, the elected officials, are the ones who are stoking the flames of division and distrust among and between Americans. Instead of fixing an anemic economy, the decaying infrastructure and/or our crumbling public education system, they spend their time denigrating each other. Over the past decades we have allowed politicians to act like entertainment personalities instead of fiduciaries of our fragile democracy. One wag in Chicago described politics as becoming “show business for ugly people.” Because we see them on TV and social media, we assume we know them. The fact is that holding political office is something that those so motivated should seek-–but not for a lifetime! Political service should be viewed as a responsibility and not as a career.?Instead, today’s politicians strive to attain celebrity status—operating under the mistaken notion that we, the people, are titillated by their name-calling, antics, and posturing. What we need is servant leadership from our representatives. We desperately need term-limits and more adults in Congress.?

During this pandemic, adult behavior has degenerated into fist fights in public places and vicious put downs/clap-backs on social media platforms like twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. What we should never forget is that our children are watching. The question we strenuously avoid asking is, “what impact is all of this adult immaturity having on our children?” Today, too many adults are blatantly contradicting the advice we verbally give to our children. “Do as I say, not as I do” appears to be the implicit mantra communicated to our youth. I wonder how this adult immaturity will influence their thinking and behavior as adults? Youth today are being radicalized by on-line cults and conspiracy theorists. Yet, many parents appear clueless regarding what is going on both in their kids minds and lives. Parents should be more conscientious in monitoring who and what their children bring into the home. I am still baffled at how a parent would endorse, support, or ignore a teenager buying an assault weapon—and keeping such a killing machine in their room. Put simply, are we afraid of our children? Have we gotten to the point where parents no longer play a fiduciary role in raising their children? Ethics and values used to be taught at home. If we don’t aggressively reclaim our role as parents and adults, we will have abandoned not only our children, but, also, our vision of America as the lighthouse for democracy around the world.