We can’t really be surprised at the recent behavior of students at Columbia University and universities across the country. Breaking windows, occupying buildings— does it sound familiar? Do we actually expect students to grow up with a modicum of respect when adults act like feral beasts? When a former president uses terms like vermin to describe human beings? When he and his followers cultivate hate? Are we really expecting our kids to use quiet, civilized inside voices to express their disappointments, their feelings and fears?
This morning I heard someone refer to this gun-scorched, covid-stained, war-singed generation as lost. I hate to think of any generation as lost but they are certainly angry. They should be. Crouched under desks, hiding in closets, they’ve been too-soon deprived of their innocence. Time after time they’ve watched the adults in the room fail them. They’ve watched a former president incite violence and continue to cast doubt on the very institutions that would hold him accountable. They watch as the Supreme Court of the land strips us of our rights after taking a solemn vow to uphold them.
Some people like to say that violence is in our DNA. While it’s true our democracy was planted in the fires of revolution, it is also true that our eighteenth century anger was caused by the FACT-BASED, historically accurate, unfair policies of King George III.
The vitriol and violence Trump has unleashed on our country is based on lies. The election of 2020 was not rigged. It was not stolen. Donald Trump lost the election. Joe Biden won. These are facts. Historically accurate, evidence based facts. Facts that were proved in a court of law and we pride ourselves on being a country of laws, not lies.
Of course, humans often fail. We seldom see the truth that stares from the letters of our laws and for too long we’ve lied to ourselves and to others. Until recently, I thought we had finally rounded a corner on our journey towards justice. But apparently, rather than opening our hearts to the possibility of actual equality with all people, some of us have felt threatened, mistakenly believing that sharing freedom with others means giving up our own.
That is another lie. Love is self-propagating. We give up nothing when we respect all people. When we replace hateful rhetoric with kindness, we build a better world.
The students who are demonstrating are angry. Let’s give them the tools to express their feelings in a more meaningful way. We can start by recognizing the rampant lies which caused so many sincere, caring people to doubt their own senses and follow a conman, a criminal. We move forward by electing leaders with integrity, leaders who model kindness, generosity and respect.
The leaders of the future depend on us.
