“True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
The tension is palpable.
It’s in the air—and on the airwaves.
I thought I could protect myself, somehow, being skilled at emotional repair and maintenance.
I thought that being ensconced in a lovely house, out in the country, with my son and his family, far removed from the immediacy of Covid, would be enough.
I thought watching no news on the television would certainly help.
I thought the unity of my immediate family members being in political alignment would counter the division of those who support the current U.S. administration.
I was wrong.
Trump/Pence signs dot the landscape.
The radio announces news updates.
One sister—for reasons no one can fathom—has, in the words of one brother, “gone to the dark side”: she watches Fox each evening.
Trump continues to hold rallies, with angry, unmasked attendees.
And the Covid numbers are rising at an alarming rate.
I thought I could handle it, good grannie that I am, but after five weeks on U.S. soil I am tired and the half dozen women gathered on the highway overpass last week, holding up signs, yelling “Vote Trump”—only 500 yards from my son’s home—did me in. (I hold a belief in the innate goodness of all human beings, but Trump has tested my commitment to it.)
Something snapped inside, and a withering onslaught of sadness washed over me, a deep sense of loss and a longing for saner, safer times gripped my heart.
Upon reflection I recognise that tension invites closer examination, a turning over of stones long held in place, revealing the creepy, crawly, ugly life forms hiding underneath that scurry from the light of day.
Without a willingness to examine the outdated attitudes and assumptions underneath the tension, no growth, no forward movement, no improvement, can occur.
Carl Jung said, “The greater the tension, the greater is the potential.
If true, great is the potential for change here in the U.S.—indeed, for the world—and for each of us as individuals.
I believe Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will win the election on November 3rd.
My hope is it will be a landslide.
My hope is that truth will trump tension, empathy will win the day and new gates of collaboration and resilience will be opened.
I pray it will be a peaceful transition.
And that my sister will change the channel.
“The world is all gates, all opportunities, strings of tension waiting to be struck.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
