Stiffening Our Resolve

Glancing at the online Washington Post front page last evening, confirmed my feeling that 2022 is going to be an exceptionally challenging year. We need to get into a mental state where we can keep balanced, stiffen our resolve, work for the good, and not succumb to despair. First, dominating the news, were the tornados that barreled through central states. They were more devastating than any I can recall, and December isn’t in the tornado season. Elsewhere on the front page I saw that the 14-day change in new Covid cases is up 40% and deaths up 31% (They were trending down this morning, but it was reported that the omicron variant is spreading fast). Next I turned to see what the opinion writers have to say and scanned the headings of featured columns. The top one read, “Jan. 6 wasn’t an insurrection. It was vigilantism. And more is coming.” That doesn’t sound good. The next was headed, “Jan. 6 crossed a line. We need to say so before it’s too late for democracy.” Right, but how does saying so get us anywhere? What was next? “I monitor Trump’s die-hard base. They’re still plotting out in the open.” Put these together and they’re more than alarming. Maybe the next column is more encouraging. Afraid not: it’s headlined: “18 steps to a democratic breakdown.” That caused me to be glad that we have an independent judiciary –– surely the courts will save us. That doesn’t seem likely either: The headline for the last column, the editorial, reads: “The nation needed a strong defense of constitutional rights. The Supreme Court did this instead.”

What can you say after reading this stuff? “Have a nice day.”?