Born in the ebullient wake of World War II, our generation largely bought into the narrative that our country was a beacon of light standing up to evil, and that goodness had and would always in the end prevail. I confess that I so believed in our cohort’s commitment to love and justice, I was sure that zeitgeist would do the heavy lifting for us.
Not anymore. My misguided faith in the trajectory of history has at last grown teeth. Words are being voiced that should have been spoken years ago. Habits that once offered comfortable places to hide are being confronted and smashed. Inconvenient emotions and intuitions are being heeded.
I see the misplaced faith that has stuck to my feet like tar in sand, and am going to great lengths in an attempt to walk it away. This work of reclamation is as critical as it is painful. And there are no guarantees that I will succeed in this lifetime.
We humans are so gifted with potential: opposable thumbs, frontal lobes, consciousness, itself. With these, we can imagine, dream, build, create. But these assets show us not only that of which we are capable, but how often our potential for manifesting greatness is dashed. Oh dear ones, how much of our gifts do we waste on pursuits and concerns not worthy of us? Why is it so hard to be magnificent?
There is plenty of guilt, shame and regret to go around. But if we stop confusing wallowing with introspection, we can appropriate our vital energy and invest it into setting things right. But will this transpire in our lifetime? Our hard-won humility hints otherwise. We meant to leave a legacy that would inspire. Instead, we leave a warning.
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