I often say that my first political memory was of Richard Nixon’s resignation. It was one of the lowest days in presidential history but would not be the last bad day. My parents often spoke negatively of John F. Kennedy, Jr.; how he almost brought about WWIII with the Bay of Pigs invasion, and that he couldn’t keep it in his pants (most famously with Marilyn Monroe). My first vote was for Jimmy Carter (when he lost), a man who brought real integrity to the White House but wasn’t the best president in spite of it. Most presidents in my lifetime have been mostly or somewhat good people, even if I disagreed with their politics. I find it impossible to believe that we could have a more immoral president than our current one, but I have been wrong before. It seems, politically, that we are in a race to the bottom; the question, I think, is can we get back up?
There are many great people serving this country as elected officials, and they are at every level. In my county, we have local, state, and federal officials who are excellent, doing what’s right for as many of the people as is possible, and working to fix what is broken. There are also many really not-so-great people, pandering to their base and producing legislation meant to damage particular groups. I recently watched a member of the Tennessee state house berate a few politicians who, he said, do little to make the world better. From what I could tell, these politicians were spending all of their time and effort finding ways to make life a living hell for the LGBTQ community; meanwhile, their schools are suffering from neglect – their infrastructure is crumbling – their people are drowning economically. All so they can satiate the hateful desires of a few conservative Christians. One has to wonder why they are so fascinated with people’s body parts and sex lives.
And as we race to the bottom, America falls farther and farther away from our promise. We are 31st in educational quality (5th in per capita spending), 10th in healthcare quality (1st in cost), and 5th in prison population per capita. I want to live in a safe nation, and I want a strong military that will protect us and our neighbors. But we are failing, and I think part of it is due to our race to the bottom morally. Fewer families attend religious services and education than ever before, and many of those who do attend faith communities gravitate towards those that teach intolerance rather than love. Meanwhile, the conversation about the 10 or so transwomen in college sports overwhelms, for too many people, the actual, important conversations we need to have about issues confronting us. Out of control costs – obscene ballrooms – UFC fights on the White House lawn – all diversions from real problems. Like the Roman Colosseum, it is meant to draw us away, diverting us from making real, positive changes. Don’t buy the hype – focus on what matters – before we hit rock bottom and can’t get up.
Prayer – Holy God, You created us to do great things, but You also gave us the choice to not do them. Guide us to choose wisely. Amen.
Today’s art is “Death and Life” by Gustav Klimt.