Will America's humiliation lead to a new story?

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/02/opinion/coronavirus-july-4.html?referringSource=articleShare

If I keep sharing articles from James Brooks of the NYTs, I’ll probably lose my membership in the radical left fascist conspiracy, but damn if the man doesn’t keep making sense. While the entire article is worth reading and contemplating, one line stood out for me. 

“if you don’t have a fierce sense of belonging to each other, you’re not going to sacrifice for the common good.”

It’s probably because I had an incredible discussion just the other day with Sean Rogers of Know Africa, based in Johannesburg. Sean’s expertise includes African socio-political environments and the role of story and national unity. He reminded me that nations are imaginary constructs that maintain their relevance only as long as the citizens share some level of common narrative. It is these stories that give the nation reason and encourage people to sacrifice for the common good. 

The United States has lost any sense of a common narrative. Recent events, from the polarization of the public over issues of science to the protests for racial justice, are all indicators that the official narrative is breaking down. As Brooks reports; “71 percent of Americans are angry about the state of the country right now and 66 percent are fearful. Only 17 percent are proud.”

These numbers are not reassuring for anyone who hopes for the future of America. We are, as Thomas Barry once said, “in-between stories.” The old story must be swept out, before we can replace it with a new narrative that reunites the citizens of the nation into a slightly more perfect union. This is a painful place to be. One where the outcome is not guaranteed. The old story, which has served many of us for so long, can become unassailable doctrine. Our tendency is to see it as ageless truth not as convenient tool. Held too closely, the old story will push us to violence and collapse. 

So, on this fourth of July, in the midst of all the chaos and pain and fear, what can we do, individually and collectively, to make sure that we create a new story? One that better delivers on our original promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all? It starts by acknowledging the need to go through this reimagining. To recognize that the only hope we have for a future together is to acknowledge the parts of the old story that have pulled us apart. Only then can we begin to build a new vision of America that Brooks imagines as “the great pluralist beacon of the 21st century.”