Eyes Wide Open

There are so many things in today’s world wrangling for my attention, my allegiance, my emotions. The challenge seems to remain conscientious, not going off the deep end while keeping my eyes wide open.

I innocently spent my youth surrounded by many conscientious individuals immersed in dialogue I now consider off the deep end. They withdrew from society to form a nucleus of like believers with a predictable them vs. us approach to life. During this period, I missed out on a lot of normal activities and adventures which, to this day, I regret. It made me lopsided in ways that took years to remedy. So now, with so many normally rational people embracing conspiracy theories, refusing to vaccinate against a worldwide pandemic, and going as far as attacking our Capitol, I shudder.

From experience I know many of their convictions have threads of reality that have been woven into illusions and deceptions, making neighbors adversaries and family members suspect. That’s not how I want to live out my final years on earth. Human nature being what it is, I think people will always be divided on some level. Nevertheless, I also believe humanity harbors a collective, fundamental decency. Charity and cruelty are undeniable counterparts in our tumultuous existence. Both play out in national conflicts and global alienation alongside humanitarian efforts and community renewal –and in our own neighborhoods. Keeping my eyes wide open, I choose to side with charity.

I believe charity, defined as “the benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity,” can survive rife hostility. Though there was a deep divide and fierce feud between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence was signed and remains a benchmark for American life. We have this precious document because the founding fathers chose not to go off the deep end even when their disagreements could have led them to do so. They understood that this amazing document was imperfect and would need amendments. They chose to put their faith in the collective wisdom and decency of a nation of people embracing a newly formed democracy.

My attention, my allegiance, my emotions are aligned with tolerance, inclusivity, compassion. People everywhere are living from one disaster to the next with no apparent end in sight. There seems to be no safe haven left in our world. All we have is each other, for better or for worse. The least we can do is to practice kindness to everyone and to harbor charity in our hearts. I believe it’s our only hope for the future.

By helping one another in times of disaster, nations are strengthening the bonds of goodwill that will yet bring the peoples of earth together. ~Walter Van Kirk