A quick succession of crises and disasters over the past decade-plus have left Americans feeling exhausted, disgusted, and frightened about the future. As a country, we may not have been this politically polarized since the Civil War.
If you are not feeling like your shiny bubbly self lately there are plenty of reasons. The overwhelming grief of losing about 1,134,660 citizens to COVID-19 from January 2020- June 14, 2023, has left some in an ongoing state of mourning. Others are actively coping with the effects of Long COVID, for them the acute crisis has not gone away.
According to Empower, a financial services company, 4.1 million Americans will turn 65 this year, and 65+ citizens comprise about 18% of the population. We have our unique challenges including health and financial concerns, caregiving stress, and social isolation. I realize not everyone is feeling Older, Bolder & Better!
Everyone’s coping strategies are different. I protect myself by limiting media consumption. I try to balance essential information with positive entertaining shows. Walking or renting a bike on Indy’s Cultural Trail relieves stress, generates creativity, and improves my sleep. I also go out of my way to meet new people and expand my circle of friends and acquaintances.
Political polarization is a source of anxiety no matter your party preference. According to the 2023 Pew Research Center, 65% of Americans say they always or often feel exhausted when thinking about politics. Whether there is concern about special interests flooding campaigns with cash for influence or partisan bickering stalling legislation, unhappiness with the political climate is universal.
TRIGGER WARNING: For this 4th of July edition, I am going to share my thoughts on recent political happenings. If you’re not interested, please stop reading now. I’ll have a regular post out this weekend and hope you will read then.
Today we celebrate America’s independence from British rule, July 4th is the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The country would no longer be ruled by a monarch, King George III. The Constitution was written eleven years later and ratified in 1788.
The peaceful transfer of power began with Adams to Jefferson in 1801 continuing to Obama and Trump. I compare America’s democracy to walking into a dark room and flicking a light switch to illuminate that space. It just happens. After the Supreme Court immunity ruling on Monday, I am concerned. In my lifetime, no one has been above the law, until now.
I never expected to quote Liz Cheney. In light of the exhaustion of the American electorate from years of angst outlined above, her premonition on “CBS Sunday Morning” flashed in my mind. Cheney warned in the December 2023 interview, “One of the things we see today is sort of a sleepwalking into dictatorship in the United States” if former President Trump is reelected. With new immunity granted by the Supreme Court, no President would have to cede power.
America could easily follow the path of Xi in China, who removed their two-term limits in 2018 and now serves as ‘president for life.’ Putin, the longest-serving Russian leader since Stalin, has ruled after succeeding Boris Yeltsin in 1999. Russia holds a 3-day ‘election’ although the outcome is always the same. Viktor Orban in Hungary has served 14 years with no end in sight and he controls all media in the country.
My wish list for the 4th of July 2025? I pray for a bipartisan America with three functioning branches of the federal government as intended. I would like to see our multi-party system cooperate more functionally with less finger-pointing to represent constituents and our needs. (I am an optimist.)
None of us know what the future holds. However, we can help save our democracy by doing something. We can start by being kind. If you can vote, vote. If you can donate, donate. If you can volunteer, volunteer. If you can push back on hate and disinformation with research, share the truth.
If you’ve read this far, I hope you will energize yourself to take action. Democracy depends on us.