What have we become as a nation?

 Are we the nation we once were? Or were we never that nation?

A revered gift from France, the statue of Liberty, reflected how that nation saw us. It symbolizes compassion; "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Obviously, we are not the symbol of light reflected in those words. We are not that nation within our own shores for our own citizens. Perhaps we never were but it seemed we once aspired to be.

We were once champions of democracy. We built strong alliances with other democratic nations and those working to be more democratic. NATO was viewed as a sacred bond that was created by common pain and spilled blood from WWI and WWII. We treated these nations as friends and shared a seat at the table where common interests were central. Our leadership has pulled away from initiatives like the Paris Climate accord, and insulted our friends in NATO. Instead, the focus has been to develop friendships with totalitarian leaders around the world. Perhaps under the surface we have lusted power and our love of democracy was too fragile. 

Once we were champions of humanitarian causes throughout the world. This, even while we struggled within our borders to be more humane to those in need. We respected leaders who called for us to keep working to better ourselves and our nation as well as reaching beyond our shores to voice a call for equality and justice. Perhaps we are more tribal and selfish and no longer aspire to be a humane force.

Once we were united in tackling diseases and helping lead infectious disease control. When Jonus Salk developed the polio vaccine, he didn't seek personal financial gain. It was an altruistic effort. There were no calls for "herd immunity". The disease affected about 35,000 people a year in the late 40's. That was enough to cause the science community to actively work on a remedy and the nation was unified behind it. Now with more than 200,000 dead from contracting COVID-19 in less than 6 months, we have a divided nation. We hear questions about the reported numbers, "pre-existing conditions", refusal to wear masks, and let there be "herd immunity". Is this who we are now? 

There is a cruel and crass undertone across the nation. It's dramatically reflected in our leadership with outrageous rhetoric and the policies supported by those who follow it. Every one of our institutions is under attack - the postal service, CIA, FBI, Justice system, journalists, public school system, Center for Infectious Disease, NIH, and even the National Weather Service. It's about unbridled control of information to silence calls for addressing and solving problems. It's fanning a lust for greed and violent impulses. 

Truth is no longer truth and facts are no longer facts. We have learned to distrust each other, question motives and fight one another. It seems we are not united in a solution to anything. There is no effort that we champion as a nation. We are a nation adrift and pulling ourselves apart at the seams. 

My heart aches as the destruction seems to be growing beyond repair. The only thing I know to do is NOT become part of the cruelty and crass behavior. AND VOTE!!!!