‘We were naïve’: Fabric of last 8 years unraveling before our eyes

‘What threatens us today is fear ... our danger is the forces in the world today which are trying to use man’s fear to rob him of his individuality, his soul, trying to reduce him to an unthinking mass by fear ... this is what we must resist, if we are to change the world for man’s peace and security ... so never be afraid. Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion, against injustice and lying and greed. If you ... will do this, not as a class or classes, but as individuals, men and women, you will change the earth.”

— William Faulkner address to graduating class, University High School, Oxford, Mississippi, May 28, 1951

I am struck by how relevant these words, spoken over 65 years ago, seem today. We are emerging into a period of ego driven, blind activism with this new administration that has arisen out of a philosophy of nationalism and isolationism. These “isms” are based on a narrow belief that the global community matters less than one’s own sense of gratification, greed and a power-driven ambition to institute change without consideration for the consequences.

Undoubtedly, one the reasons we are fearful is that the pendulum has swung so quickly and so dramatically from a stance of measured tolerance and considered decision making into one of rapid fire, shotgun firings and cynicism, formed out of shallow thought processes where the consequences are damned.

“We feel like a mockery is being made of what one loves,” to quote Albert Camus.

Many of us are anxious to find a path through these times, when the actions so contradictory to our beliefs in justice, fairness, and the dignity of ethnic and gender diversity are unraveling in unprecedented haste. Our tendency is to react in the extreme just as the actions we abhor are being perpetrated in the extreme. In gatherings with friends and family we speak of little else, expressing dismay and fear of things yet to come.

The pendulum has swung in ways that we might have anticipated but didn’t really believe would happen. Prior to, and following the election, we rested in a belief and hope that rhetoric was nothing more than rhetoric, destined to die when the reality of post-election hype would give way to more sober and measured actions. But that seems to not be the case, as each day brings new shocks to the system of government, cultural identities and our individual lives. The fabric of the last eight years is unraveling before our eyes. We were naïve!

Most of the executive orders raise more questions of what they really mean and what their effects will be rather than offering any clarity of process. It would seem we face a prolonged period of chaos as the president lashes out against normalcy and decent behavior while implementing his twisted agenda.

Democracy is supposed to be based on reasoned debate and rational decision making that embraces the wishes of its citizenry, not the tyrannical ambitions of a single person.

“True democracy inspires wisdom and dignity of choice. A closed society inspires terror and tyranny of belief,” said Terry Tempest Williams in “Open Space for Democracy.”

And as our society seems to be closing in around us, it is only natural to feel fear while we learn more each day about the intentions of these executive orders — fear of extremism, fear of global backlash, but most of all, fear of losing our own personal and collective sanity, and of our capability to find room for compassion and happiness. We are not immune from historical precedents and it is only natural to feel a deep sadness and one of dropping into an abyss. Lying and untruths are now the touchstone for a number of recent initiatives that many of us believe are fundamentally un-American and have been so back to the days of our founding fathers.

With heavy hearts, but with clarity of purpose, we can bond with community, respect diversity of opinion, and find our own path through these perilous times. Each of us in our own way can exercise our democratic right to dissent, and cement our beliefs in a true democracy letting fear give way to informed activism.

Parker is a resident of Taos.