How quickly it turns
We cannot control fully the course history takes, but we can stand ready for its call.
Last evening we had a mechanical failure of a whole-house water filter that caused us to be without water coming into the house for about four hours while the part was replaced. While the water was shut off from the street, every drop we did have was precious, a reminder to be grateful for the profound privilege of indoor plumbing and access to potable water at the turn of a valve.
But more than that. During the time the water was off (and I was “helping,” mostly, by staying out of the way), I read. I read a recap of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s horrible record of racist comments. I read a summary of Abraham Lincoln’s speech at the Lyceum, a young and rising politician calling for the rule of law and passionate support for the Constitution over personal ambition. I read a reflection on Holocaust Remembrance Day and the use of propaganda to turn people against one another. And I continued reading a novel set in the time of the Nigerian civil war and the brief life of the state of Biafra.
What all these writings had in common with the never-to-be-forgotten sound of water released at high pressure to spray in our basement was the theme of how quickly our conditions can change. One moment, all is dry and safe, and we are contemplating what to cook for supper; the next, we are in rubber boots bailing buckets mopping up a mess. One moment, we pride ourselves that we live in a strong and vibrant democracy; the next, we are fleeing an army, mob, or government intent on our destruction. One moment, we seem lost in the despair of violence used to support those greedy for power; the next, a leader rises with a vision of and commitment to peace.
Knowledge of how quickly life turns can lead us to recognize our own power and role in those turnings. We cannot control fully the course history takes, but we can stand ready for its turns: ready to speak out against violence, racism, and dehumanizing propaganda, wherever we find it; ready to commit ourselves to the rule of law and justice for all; ready to fight with all our intelligence, compassion, and ingenuity to ensure peace, inclusion, and the survival of government accountable to those it governs.
Stand ready, and stand together, and we will weather the flood.
Sources Mentioned:
The novel is “Half of a Yellow Sun” by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie, available from your local library or independent bookseller.
The reflections on Holocaust Remembrance Day and recap of racist statements by the current Republican front-runner were in the Code Switch newsletter from NPR:
https://www.npr.org/newsletter/code-switch?
The summary of Lincoln’s speech is from Dr. Heather Cox Richardson:
Liz, so true about how change isthe nature of life and it can be sudden. Bruce Lee said, “Under duress, we don’t rise to the level of our expectations, but fall to the level of our training”. To me that says we must cultivate regularly the mindset to be ready for the call to stand for what is right and just.