Great Egrets seem to spend all their time focused on catching a meal, grooming, or enjoying a sunny or perhaps at least a sheltered perch. They don't seem to mind wading around in cold water. They typically avoid confrontation but they can be very territorial and I have seen one or two stand up to the much more aggressive Great Blue Herons. I don't know that Great Egrets think about the past, but I do know that they have a good memory for places. Our Great Egret buddy, Frank 29X, from Canada has flown down from his northern marshes to the Crystal Coast for eight straight years.
We, humans, live a much different life than Great Egrets but the ones of us who maintain relative mental balance have a streak of hopefulness in us. It is easy to get weighed down by the news. Climate change could bring the end of the world and a massive sea-level rise. Our spineless GOP senate has just given the menace that is our leader a green light for whatever behavior he feels like between now and the next election. Far too many people are killed by far too many guns. The suicide rate among veterans and farmers is appalling. Many people are just one medical incident away from bankruptcy. Corporations seemed to have rigged the tax system in their favor. Birds are dying and our corporate-friendly government seems bent on doing away with all environmental regulations while attempting to dismantle protections for federal lands.
It would be easy to have a vision of the future that is flaming rivers, toxic drinking water, firestorms like Australia and an authoritarian government with miles of wall attempting to stave off the future.
The reality will likely be different. The demographics of our country are changing. The demographics are not changing in favor of the white nationalists and the party that sees them as "some very good people." We know what a nearly scandal-free government looks like. We had eight years of it under our first black president. The children growing up today are growing up in a much more diverse world much like Halifax, Nova Scotia where we lived for a few years.
I have told the story many times about moving to Columbia, Maryland where our young son heard someone refer to a lady as black and turned to ask us what did "black" mean? We might not get there in America in my lifetime but I wouldn't write off the possibility. I have grandchildren that will need guidance and help to succeed. I plan to be around for them. I fully expect to help them develop their critical thinking skills.
I also hope to teach them to be unafraid to take the heat for their beliefs. We have far too many people who are unwilling to admit their mistakes much less shoulder the responsibility of what they did. Certainly, we should hold responsible those senators who refused to honor their oath of office and stuck their heads in the sand during the sham impeachment trial of our foul-mouthed leader.
I grew up during a time when we could debate opinions without getting personal. I sent a list of questions to a no-one-could-be-right-but-me opinion writer. I hoped to understand why he believed things that do not pass the test as facts. His comment was that I lived in a different reality. Certainly, I do not live in the fever-induced-conspiracy swamp of Fox News. I think this quote from Forbes about covers it.
There's a lot that goes on in the world that doesn't easily fit the Fox template. There are important stories that don't make anyone angry, prove liberals are evil or otherwise carry an emotional punch. Fox viewers get less of them. Fox News is like an all-you-can-eat buffet, serving up red meat. A more balanced diet might be healthier in the long run.
I try to eat a balanced diet of healthy food but I do fall off the wagon especially for bacon and potato chips. Enjoying a balanced news diet is much easier and I never fall off that wagon and listen to the junk news that comes out of Fox.
Not all government is bad. That pretty much disqualifies me as a Fox viewer. Not all taxes are bad and the government helping people who are less fortunate is a good thing that will benefit us all. Those are the second and third strikes that make me an unlikely Fox News viewer.
The government is a giant pendulum. Likely our current difficulties are a result of the great progress we made under Barack Obama. There are people to whom the thought of a black president or a woman as president are as threatening as flaming rivers are to me.
We have to hope that our current mess will energize people to vote. Those of us who believe our future depends on a fair country that continues to build on the strength and intelligence of current and past immigrants instead of walling ourselves off from the world and the future cannot let fear, hatred, and xenophobia driven by the policies of the current administration define our future.
We have to build a world where everyone counts no matter how humble their backgrounds are. Each person, not just the rich and well-connected, deserves a chance to succeed and thrive. That has been the imperfect promise of America for hundreds of years. We will continue to strive to get closer to that promise and we will never let it die.
We can still have a country that respects borders and the law without making life miserable for so many. We just need better people running our country.
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