The First 100 Days of Us
thoughts on who we should be sizing up right now
It’s being looked at from every angle, these first 100 days of the second Trump Administration.
In some ways, Inauguration Day seems like it was 100 years ago. So much chaos has happened, it’s hard to keep track of what we’ve been surprised and outraged by during in these past three months. Donald Trump has been the menace and his administration as maniacal as we anticipated, in many ways even more so. History is already characterizing this presidency by its fascism, racism, and buffoonery.
There is much to rant about regarding the terror of our current political reality, but let us remember that Trump is not the only one under the microscope.
As we assess and review the current administration, we must take just as much care to consider not just how we’ve fared over the last 100 days, but how we’ve engaged.
It’s time to ask ourselves a few questions: To what values were we faithful? What have been our patterns and practices of participation in community? What have we done enough of to be characterized by?
What happens next in our lives should be shaped then, not by what he does (although we will have to respond and resist), but by our answers to those questions. Rather than cede all the power to those currently in authority about the way things are going, let us remember that we are primarily in charge of how we spend our days, including the next 100.
It’s up to us to meet the chaos and terror of what’s ahead in this country with courage and resolve.
What do we want to be able to say about ourselves and our efforts 100 days from now?
As the saying goes, it’s always later than we think, so let’s not waste a minute.
For those of us who are past working age, each day has been beset with moments of holding our breath to see what might happen next. We have experienced being vulnerable in ways we never imagined (and truly never wanted to see befall others).
In my faith tradition, we look forward to the hope that the successor to Pope Francis has some of the same Spirit that seemed to motivate our late Pontiff.
Each week, we pray the Nicene Creed (our local priests shun the Apostles Creed for some reason). It contains this phrase, "I believe in the Holy Spirit. the Lord and giver of life ..."
I draw a lot of strength from that notion that, in spite of everything that is happening, the Holy Spirit is still infusing life into us and into our situation.
Lori: Thanks you for the reminder that us that each of us has a responsibility to counter, act, and each day do our part to join others in working for positive ways to insure a democracy and equal justice for all. Onward........