I’ve been feeling uber nostalgic recently. You know the bit – we all miss what we no longer have. Family members pass, kids graduate and the nest empties. All sorts of things happen this time of year but the losses are the most poignant.
I can almost hear Frank Sinatra singing, “the days grow short when you reach September.” Yes, that’s a fact and people grow older, too.
Which is where we are now, with many dramatic changes in 2025. We all feel it – see it - know it has, but these changes haven’t been an improvement to me. There has been no joy in the news.
If I heard a chorus of people naming all the good things 2025 has brought, I’d toss a handful of quarters into a wishing well in gratitude. But things are eerily silent out across the land.
This week signals America’s 238th anniversary of the drafting of the Constitution. Those days weren’t exactly the best of times, but the Pilgrims were thankful they made it across the ocean. Those times were tough.
So is now. Our sacred Constitution has suffered badly this year, and because of those indignities so have the people. (Only Congress and Legislatures are smiling. Their paychecks arrive regardless.)
Everyone has their own list of political missteps. Here’s mine:
Every Constitutional Amendment #1-#27 trampled; Man’s inhumanity to man (and especially to women); America’s moral failure to assist millions suffering worldwide; legislatures playing doctor, scientist and teacher without credentials; voting rights; oh, and all the public benefits we’ve taken for granted that have been cancelled or erased.
Start with the loss of Public Broadcasting Systems radio and television, Medicare, Social Security and Veterans Affairs, The Smithsonian Museum and the Kennedy Center for the Arts, the U.S. Postal Service and Voice of America, for goodness’ sakes! Name something that hasn’t been touched and changed – I wish you could!
But you can’t. And it’s getting worse. That’s what happened with the Revolutionary War, but the good thing was the Constitution evolving to set the world back on its axis. It didn’t happen overnight but slowly, the earth rotated and people began moving in unison – and America was back in balance for a while.
What has struck me through all this political chaos is how history repeats itself. People jog along never looking up from their devices to say, “Whoa! This looks familiar!”
Since few can see the trees for the forest, acceptance of chaos is again happening. And no statesmen or philosophers are stepping up to reassure the anxious masses and lead us out of the wilderness of technology.
Those of us with graying noggins, who once studied history, might not remember that in 1924 (yikes!)
American politics was in disarray – surprise – and the leadership began pushing back and attacking the financial system by applying tariffs to boost the faltering economy. The Great Depression in 1929 was exactly that, with millions struggling to find food, jobs, clothing, safety. Isolationism didn’t improve anyone’s life.
America had to shape up and fight back, grudgingly joining Britain against the war machine of the Nazis and then in 1943 being attacked at Pearl Harbor. No time to hide, it was time to fight back. The world was in a mess for 30 years!
Sound familiar yet? Hey, you’re as woke as I am!
That’s not a political term nor is it “liberal.” It’s a realization that as life changes, we must, too –and accept that we must meet obstacles head on – and on – and on – until we surmount them.
Wokeness is an awareness that we have walked this way before. And those of us who lived through all or part of it know enough that we’d better step quickly around the potholes to find solid ground.
Our lives depend on it. Our society depends on it. This tender earth we inhabit begs for it.
History’s lessons are well recorded so people ignoring the similarities are burying their heads in the sand. Awareness of the power grabs, the mass murders and assassinations, the legislative revenge, the political greed – all of this judicial gamesmanship that’s threatening our precious Constitution, is one way we can help stop the madness.
America hasn’t always been the Land of the Free. It took the Brave to make it happen. See it – believe it – speak up - and step forward to stop it. Now. Vote for the change you want.
If you attend a church, synagogue, temple or spiritual center where people “Pass the Peace” amongst themselves, why not try doing so out in the community? No one asks what’s someone’s politics, gender preference or educational level. Just sincere wishes for peace.
Shelly has worn more hats in the communications field than Carter had pills but forgot to retire when she closed her promotions business. She earned a BA in Journalism at NTSU (before it became UNT) and has never lost her love of words.