As stated many times before, “events of the present seem much greater and more dire than events of the past.” Passing time provides us much context. This now, however, definitely seems greater and more dire from all the major events happening in 2020. As chaotic as today appears, I still ardently believe “the moral arc of history is long but bends towards justice,” espoused famously by Martin Luther King Jr. Friends—we will be fine and “this too shall pass.”
We know America along with all its forefathers have not been perfect—none of us have. America—like any country or person—has major challenges to grapple with and resolve. This is not unique to America—all countries must strive to better their societies and nations. America has made great mistakes in its past and present. However, if we rise above today’s myopic viewpoints and learn from our history, we can conclusively understand that each American generation has helped bend that moral arc towards ever-greater justice—each generation building upon the last generation’s successes. Each generation’s advancement has not been easy, and it’s not supposed to be—”for that which is obtained too easily is esteemed too lightly,” said by Thomas Paine. America will always have setbacks and great struggles. Yet through every struggle, there is always a silver lining to be found.
Almost 250 years ago, America was conceived on the cornerstone ideal that “all men are created equal with inalienable rights” eloquently written in our Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson. This is America’s Mission statement. This is America’s North Star. This brilliantly written document has been one of the greatest contributors steering the American ship in the right direction. We must understand this truism so that we build upon this remarkably vibrant American Garden that has produced an explosion of innovation, creativity, arts, leaders, pioneers, entrepreneurs, civil rights, and wealth lifting millions across America and the world. We must understand the very compelling reasons why millions choose every year to move to America—and millions more would like to come. This is absolutely still true today. We must cherish our history and heritage—for if we do not, we will lose our rudder and be blown along with the whims of the times. No one can deny America’s paramount march towards greater equality and justice since our country’s foundation—based on the everlasting creed “to create a more perfect union.”
We must understand and remember—negative news and not positive news sells ratings and profits. Understand this simple truth—the media greatly focuses on negative news to make money. Reporting positive news and events does not make money—does not grasp our attention to help the media generate revenue. Negative news and events have the overwhelming power to seize our attention so that people watch the news and click the articles. This is the reality, “if it bleeds, it reads.”
As challenging as today appears and is, we are meeting the challenges. We are meeting the challenges with this COVID-19 pandemic—closing down our economy, quickly passing legislation spending trillions to aid financial hardships, producing millions of PPE and other medical supplies, and greatly reducing our average-daily fatalities from 2,255 in April to 753.¹ We are meeting the challenges with our ongoing protests—passing legislation, reforms, and executive actions throughout America to address rightful grievances. We are meeting the challenges with our economy—after 22 million initially losing their jobs from COVID-19, we have now added back 7.5 million along with the markets remarkably rebounding from their deep troughs in March. ² We are meeting our challenges. As we continue using our most precious right—Freedom of Speech—to help shape our America into the future, we will be fine, my friends.
DBR
Sources:
¹ https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/
² https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2020/nonfarm-employment-up-4-point-8-million-in-june-2020.htm