Healing America: “Let’s bring our best selves to the job.”

From Leslie Hyde, an old college friend, who now functions as a chaplain in the tiny village of Yarmouth, Maine:

The world feels a little like it’s spinning out of control at the moment. It’s scary, and fear often makes us do and say awful things. Let’s not – okay? Let’s choose kindness over cruelty; peace over anxiety; wisdom over ignorance; connectedness over “Other”; inclusion over divisiveness; hope over despair. There is so much that needs to be done and repaired. Let’s bring our best selves to the job. Let’s anchor ourselves in the Deep Truth that we are all in this together. Let’s act with the knowledge that we are all connected -to each other and this earth. We have never needed each other more than we do now. There’s work to be done. 

Breathtakingly beautiful, as always.  Whatever one believes about the chaos in the U.S., one thing’s certain: Leslie’s right when she says, “Let’s bring our best selves to the job” and “There’s work to be done.”

Also, I don’t think anyone wants to do or say awful things.  But let’s face facts, re-establishing decency is not going to happen without some nasty words and aggressive (though lawful) actions.  The federal government is now commanded by sociopathic criminals, and they’re not going away simply because decent people request that they do so.  I don’t want things to get any uglier than Leslie does, but I think we need a certain realism here.