Reflections and Hope

Jesse Hart January 20, 2021

Hope

Excerpts

President Joseph Biden

"I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real, but I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we're all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial and victory is never assured." -- Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., 20 Jan 2021
"And so today at this time in this place, let's start afresh, all of us. Let's begin to listen to one another again. Hear one another see one another, show respect to one another. Politics doesn't have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn't have to be a cause for total war. And we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured." -- Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., 20 Jan 2021

Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman

"We've braved the belly of the beast We've learned that quiet isn't always peace And the norms and notions of what just is Isn’t always just-ice And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it Somehow we do it Somehow we've weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken but simply unfinished" -- Amanda Gorman, 20 Jan 2021
"We close the divide because we know, to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another We seek harm to none and harmony for all Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true: That even as we grieved, we grew That even as we hurt, we hoped That even as we tired, we tried That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious Not because we will never again know defeat but because we will never again sow division" -- Amanda Gorman, 20 Jan 2021
Our blunders become their burdens But one thing is certain: If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change our children’s birthright So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left with -- Amanda Gorman, 20 Jan 2021
For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it If only we’re brave enough to be it -- Amanda Gorman, 20 Jan 2021

Reflections

I selected the above passages for a wide-ranging number of reasons. As I have reflected on things, however, I realized there was a very poignant message burning within whose flame had almost been extinguished; a thought buried underneath years of disbelief and exhaustion, and a renewed desire to pursue the singular thought that long guided my endeavors.

Over the past four years, and especially in recent months, I have seen many posts on social media that have appalled me. The spread of misinformation with such conviction that it becomes easy to think it fact is not a new phenomenon, but it has been perfected in recent years. Similarly, the rise of virile, vehement attacks on individuals for simply disagreeing with a viewpoint, has become reprehensible.

Most of all, though, I find myself disappointed. Disappointed in the lack of many of those in my "social circle" attempting to do better, to be better. Disappointment in the lack of taking a moment to discern fact from fiction. Disappointment in the most simple, basic act of trying to be a decent person. However, I would be remiss in mentioning the most excruciating disappointment of all: disappointment in myself for not being a more vocal proponent of love, compassion, and the betterment of society.

Today is a day of hope. Today is a day where we can finally look to the office of President of the United States of America for guidance, honesty, and trust in fact and science.

We have a long road ahead of us to reach a better place, a better moment. There will be many disagreements on policy and direction. This is the nature of politics in our nation, and something that we used to recognize as the simple cost of doing business, as it were. Whatever you may think of the new administration, or the previous one for that matter, we should all reevaluate our positions based on a simple set of questions: what about this change actually bothers me, and what is this change attempting to do?

I have long held to the theory that our affinity for labels, an unfortunate necessity for the way in which we navigate the world by classifying information internally, will ultimately be our downfall. Now, more than ever, I know that to be true. We are, in order of what we should be thinking of with regard to policy, human beings first and foremost. We should be discussing human rights and citizen privileges, not what should be allowable for any specific subset of people within those groups.

While imperfect and flawed, we should never stop striving for the attainment of the American ideal. We have seen darkness and persevered. We have seen failure and stood back up and tried again. We have seen unprecedented oppression and bigotry, and yet we still cling to the notion that all are created equal. It is time we pursued that ideal with the desire and passion necessary to recognize its promise. It is time for us to no longer slip quietly into the night, but to pronounce our arrival at dawn with trumpets blaring and drums pounding. It is time for us to lead by example.

Today I renew my efforts to attain my singular, guiding goal over the many years: to make certain that those I encounter are better for having known me, however brief our interaction. I challenge you to do the same.

White American

Jesse Hart November 10, 2016

November 9, 2016. Think about it for a moment. Recognize that this marks a day when people believing they are espousing messages of inclusivity and hope began to turn into the same people they believed they were fighting back against for a long time. Stay with me, and hopefully we can both agree on how absurd so many comments and thoughts have been over the past two days.

Let’s get a couple of things out of the way first: I am a white male. I grew up in rural Georgia. I am married and have a son. I received my undergraduate degree from Columbus State University and my Masters from the University of Cincinnati. I am the demographic many of you have decided to lump into one singular category since November 8, and the fact that you are relying on stereotypes and broad categorical labels is just as much of a problem now as any other issue present in this country. You are doing exactly what you accuse me of doing on a daily basis simply because I am not female, or a person of color, or identify as a non-heterosexual male. You are labeling, blaming, and lashing out at me without any legitimate reason, simply because I am different from you.

There are absolutely racist white morons in this country. There are issues that we face in this country that stem from the systematic oppression of others. There are plenty of things that you and I would agree emphatically on if we were to discuss things over a cup of coffee. There is one fundamental difference, however, in our views: I wholeheartedly believe that everyone is equal and that our society should be shaped in such a way as to make that clear, whereas I do not see that belief from you.

As long as we continue to separate ourselves from each other, especially through systems of classification and labels (such as African-American, white, or homosexual, just to pick some examples) we will continue to create and reinforce stereotypes and societal divisions that we will not overcome. As long as we view our neighbors, friends, coworkers, and strangers we encounter as “x label” instead of viewing them as fellow Americans, we are lost. As long as we blame others and find fault with them in some way, we have failed.

I get it. You're frightened because the person that has been elected to lead this country has shown us that he is misogynistic, authoritarian, homophobic, and bigoted. What you seem to be forgetting, however, is that judging or labeling others by any demographic is exactly the problem you feel you have been facing, and now you are responding by doing that very thing to me.

We are in this together. I'm scared of what the coming days, weeks, months, and years will bring as well. Let's start by looking at each other as fellow human beings and figuring out how we make a positive difference, from the ground up, in a country where we have (for far too long) looked for answers from the top down.

I Believe

archives April 9, 2013

I believe we have come upon a proverbial fork in the road where the choices we make now will either plummet us into an ever-darkening decent toward chaos or, if we wake up and act, lead us to the society we proclaim to be the ideal we yearn to achieve. The time has come for us to alter our course. Continuing with the status quo is no longer viable, and will only lead us further into darkness.

Yes, those are dire words. Yes, they invoke imagery that many will challenge as over-dramatized and simply used as an attempt to gain attention. Let us explore, somewhat briefly, a handful of the key points that support such a foreboding tone:

American Rights / Human Rights

“To count by race, to use the means of numerical equality to achieve the end of moral equality, is counterproductive, for to count by race is to deny the end by virtue of the means. The means of race counting will not, cannot, issue in an end where race does not matter.” -- William Bennet and Terry Eastland, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (source)

Until we remove from our vocabulary such ridiculous phrases as "Black Rights," "African-American Rights," "Women's Rights," "Children's Rights," and any other moniker that is not simply Human Rights (or, I suppose, we could continue to use "American" or "Civil"), we will never truly achieve any progress in eliminating racism, bigotry, or whatever term of bias you would like to use. It simply cannot happen. Do you get that? It is impossible to eliminate bias when we introduce it simply by describing some sort of bias in the name. The same holds true for organizations, entertainment, media, clubs, pageants... any introduction of a separate item specifically catering to one group and excluding any other group, by its very nature, perpetuates bias. It is time for change.

Political Agendas and Government Failures

"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." -- John Adams, from Bartlett's Familiar Quotations

Our government was founded on a set of ideals that we have effectively destroyed: a government of the people, for the people, by the people. We now have a system of government that is run of the elite, by the elite, for the elite. Further compounding the issue, we now have such a complex and over-reaching governmental "machination" that even those with the best intentions merely become absorbed into the bureaucracy. It is time for change.

Education and Intelligence

"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled." -- Plutarch, from Wikiquote

Our approach to education is far too singularly focused on memorization and attempting to pass national standardized tests. Throughout my entire academic career I found only a couple of classes that attempted to stimulate the mind, and those were merely the result of teachers who understood the concept of true education as opposed to any guidelines or attempts by the institutions to fulfill their true purpose. It is time for change.

Common Sense and the Loss of Innocence

"That's what it takes to be a hero, a little gem of innocence inside you that makes you want to believe that there still exists a right and wrong, that decency will somehow triumph in the end." -- Lise Hand, quoted in The Truth in Words : Inspiring Quotes for the Reflective Mind (2002)

We live in a constant state of self/socially-induced naiveté. We prefer to think of it as a state of innocence, and yet I can honestly say that we have lost our collective "innocence." We see right and wrong in action every day and, for the most part, we pretend it doesn't exist or we look the other way. We see the problems with racism, with the state of human rights, with the actions and inactions of organizations and our government, and we still hold to the misguided notion that someone else will come forward and solve our problems for us. We must act. We must step forward and become the heroes we long so desperately for in these times. It is time for change.

Challenging the Status Quo

"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. But the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do." -- Apple Inc.

There really is nothing to add beyond the idea this quote captures. To borrow another line from the same marketing campaign, the concept is that we must "Think Different" if we are to move forward.

Remarks

I do not believe I have all of the answers. I do not believe any one person has even half of the answers. I do believe, however, that it is time for us to quit sitting idly by and watching our nation, our society, our communities, and in many cases even our own households continue along the slow, downward spiral we find ourselves upon now. It is time for change.