We were all so thrilled to usher 2020 out and welcome 2021 in with high hopes. Vaccines? Yayyyy! Fresh faces in Washington? Yayyy (well, for many folks anyway)! Then that inauspicious first week pierced our hearts like a dagger. We watched, stunned and unbelieving as live events unfolded. We went round and round on social media, finger pointing and casting blame, ranting and raving. We spent hours online and on a phone trying to get vaccine appointments. Tempers flared and tears were shed. Such unprecedented historical events brought out the worst in some of us, the best in others.
Recently, I’ve worked with this statement on several images across different GeorgiaJanet platforms.
“It must be written down. The bad, the good, the stories, the tales. The tears, the terrors, the ours, the theirs. It must be preserved to show that we, yes we, not us or them, but WE can move forward together. If not, then God help us all.”
Reading this over and over I thought of the attacks that have been made on the media. Journalists, writers, and authors have obligations. At different times we may write to entertain, inform, persuade, or sometimes to express opinions. We have seen, heard, and read much of each of these over the last few weeks. If the work is well written, and the reader receives it in the spirit in which it is intended, it will achieve its goal. It’s possible a writer may have had a more nefarious intent. Undoubtedly there are those who write to misinform, incite reactions, and cast dispersion. We’ve also seen enough of this these past few days.
Yet, read the second part of that statement again. If we are willing to recognize and claim all of it, that is the first step to moving forward. We will never move backward. Just as in my Bohemian Southern Belle description, let us keep what is good about the past and let go of what is not so good. The key is for each of us to recognize both in ourselves instead of blaming others and take the responsibility to move forward in peace. It can be done. Tennis great Arthur Ashe stated it simply. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. The young, talented, and beautiful Amanda Gorman eloquently reminded us in her inauguration poem The Hill We Climb:
The earth still turns. The sun rises each morning. The oceans pulsate with tides. Winds blow. Birds sing. Babies are born. People fall in and out of love. Some people get sick and die, but others get sick and recover. Life is not perfect, never has been and never will be. I believe the USA is still the best place on earth to live and that God is still in his heaven. Please join me as we move forward together.
©2021 Janet Hogan Chapman (excepting Arthur Ashe and Amanda Gorman quotes)