Disconnected Chapters

A confession and a concern

In this time, in this place, with our resources, shouldn’t we be able to connect the dots? I once said, “My greatest strength is to take disparate ideas and synthesize them into a cohesive strategy.” Now the cacophony swirling in my brain is like reading a Robert Melillo story where every chapter wobbles towards a horizon. Still, there isn’t a stabilizing force guiding and acknowledging our progress or lack of progress.

I could be losing my mind, or my retrograde amnesia is compromising my intuition and logic, but it feels like I am not alone. Many in my circle feel like they are swimming hard but get no closer to a finish line.

I was cancelled by the left and the right for asking questions. The concentration of wealth is distorting economic theories, and, simultaneously, tariffs are pushing up the stock market and pushing down affordability.

We have governments inserting guardrails on social issues to protect citizens from themselves and outside harms, while infantilizing citizens, while regulators of competition and the flow of money are removing constraints so dollars flow from consumers to shareholders.

Everything I once held dear seems in array except the truth of our interdependence and goodwill. The glaring racism and bigotry aside, and the hyperpartisan stubbornness acknowledged, we have an innate capacity to forgive, remember, weep, laugh, and optimistically move forward.

I am not sure where I/we will be in 365 days (or 30 days), but I do trust and need to trust that our fragile community will endure. We will share grievances and celebrate victories. We can share and care with and for those closest to us and those very far from us. Together, our voices are strong, and the power of collective resistance can be effective.

To paraphrase an unlikely source (the US Homeland Security posters in airports): “If you see something, say something to a friend, a colleague, your family, or the world.”

May this season, however you appreciate it, bring new adventures, new relationships, and a tiny bit of discomfort and a lot of curiosity.

B