By James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.
When I was young and had a fever, I always felt a bit different. Things weren’t normal. I wanted to get back to my normal way of feeling.
You know when things aren’t right. It doesn’t feel right and it doesn’t look right. The Covid-19 pandemic comes immediately to mind.
We saw a lot of people with masks on and taking some special health precautions. For example, we had to distance ourselves from each other if we were standing in line.
Hand washing became a priority. At every juncture, we were using hand sanitizers. Restaurants did not have as many people in them. People were simply afraid to go out to eat. Staying at home became normalized.
Places of worship had fewer people attending. Those who normally attended church listened online to the messages. I would opine that there are still people who haven’t returned to in-person worship services. They have gotten accustomed to being at home. That’s just sadly, today’s reality.
I can’t put my finger on it is a timeless expression that we have used to describe unfamiliar circumstances. However, I believe we can put our finger on what is happening today in America.
There are several unusual things that are occurring now. First and foremost, we are afraid of each other. We are fearful of what people will do or say.
Just a few days ago, I was about to enter a customer service waiting area. There was one person already there reading a magazine. When she saw me, she immediately jumped to her feet and left.
Was that a coincidence of her being ready to go? I don’t think it was. I think it was simply her uneasiness.
The political divide in this nation has never been so drastic as it is now. Our views about most things are now clarified and even glorified by our political affiliation.
There is unspoken angst about political talk these days. There is no more political banter about the possibilities to compromise. There isn’t an avenue for healthy debate.
The talk is all negative and mean. People have attitudes about their political leanings. Succinctly put, our America is in trouble.
In some communities, people are afraid to go to work for fear of being jailed. As a result, our economy is suffering because of it. Work is a time-honored tradition in this country, however right now, we have a stoppage in some circles.
The American public is tightlipped and hurting when it comes to issues of the day. We are like ships passing in the night. Threats and intimidation have ruled over our rationale thinking.
We know that there is a government shutdown. Some federal workers are in danger of being furloughed. Paychecks once certain aren’t so much anymore. Federal funding is being withheld from certain states in our union. We know the term, the divided states of America and that is where we are right now.
It will be interesting to see how long our government will stay shut down. Remember, we are talking about the most powerful country in the world. Both political parties have their reasons as to why the government is closed for business. This is a heavyweight battle and there is no referee.
Senator Chuck Shumer, a Democrat from New York said, “A shutdown gives the executive branch pretty much complete freedom as to what parts of the government to fund and what parts not.” Representative Mike Johnson, Republican from Louisiana and Speaker of the House blames the Democrats.
Well, both sides are entrenched in their beliefs, and we the people are on the other side of the mountain. Maybe cooler heads will prevail in the coming days. Pain and suffering are equal opportunity maladies. They don’t have a bias upon who it affects. They could care less about whether you are blue or red. America, are you feeling uneasy yet?
