I can’t tell you how many times I have heard this said or seen it written in the last 2 months. Spoken, usually, by people who actually will be fine, this is a phrase of privilege spoken by those who will benefit from the changes we see happening politically – or, at least, think they will. In truth, we never know what will happen or how random events will impact our way of life. Things might be fine; they might not. We can’t tell the future, so we use trite phrases in attempts to pacify those who are afraid. And while the future is obscure, there are consequences that we can predict pretty easily, if we are willing to be honest. And if we are willing to look at history.
Take the resignation of Richard Nixon, for example. I knew, even though I was only 14, that politics would never be the same. I knew that the shame he brought to the office of president was irreparable, and that future presidents would suffer because of his malfeasance. They would also get away with worse crimes; we became desensitized to presidential criminality, and his pardon laid the groundwork for future acts of unwarranted forgiveness. Or Catholic priests and Evangelical preachers who committed terrible sins, breaking the confidence and trust we used to have in them, realistic or not. As a young pastor in the 1980’s, I saw how people reacted to me in my clerical collar; all trust had been broken.
To say “You’ll be fine” to someone who has been through trauma or is living in fear is to exhibit privilege at its very worst. It is flaccid, arrogant, and selfish. We know that there are people in this country who want to wipe out LGBTQ people. We know that there are people who want to stamp out all non-English speaking, regardless of the illegality of that. People who are afraid of their rights being taken away will not be fine. The “you’ll be fine” people want to silence dissent – don’t let them. They want to bully us into compliance – push back. The only way we will be fine is if we stand against their abusive behavior, in solidarity against those who believe in silencing the opposition. We might be fine, but only if we say no to their control and manipulation. Then, maybe, we will have a chance.
Prayer – Holy God, You have created us to stand up for justice. May we accept Your Spirit as we do that together. Amen.
Today’s art is “Resistance” by Anastasia Tarasenko.