Fire and Anger

I haven’t been following the news that closely but it is pretty clear we are in for some rough times. The anger is real and understandable but it is being channeled into things that aren’t productive. There are those trying to defuse it but those voices are being drowned out by the rest.

Of course, sometimes the news reaches out and finds you. My emergency alert just came on to announce that we are under a curfew until 6AM tomorrow. Only “essential” personnel are allowed to be on the streets. We don’t live anywhere near where all the action is but it is still jarring to have your phone light up to tell you that you are under a curfew.

I don’t know when or how this ends. I think the last line in the quote above is key. We have become so divided along so many lines and I already see predictable camps being formed. We paint with a broad brush for those who are different than us rather than trying to establish connections.

Every now and then I do see stories of good amid the bad. I wish those were promoted more but they aren’t as “exciting” as pictures of burning buildings. Nothing better to get eyeballs on your channel than to show things on fire and keep everyone afraid and on edge.

I shouldn’t get too worked up about this but it is hard not to. I guess I’m just not built for this kind of stuff. To think about all the lives that have been impacted and will continue to be impacted by this is just too much. And I don’t know that we have any real solutions – certainly haven’t heard of any. In the end, do we get some blue ribbon committee to study the problem and a few minor reforms that won’t really change anything and then we just wait for the next spark to ignite.

Have you ever just wanted to wake up from a bad dream but then realized you weren’t dreaming. That is seriously what this year is feeling like.