Things have changed
Mostly for the worse, but a little for the better?
A lot can change in a year. Just take a look at a smattering of headlines from June 17, 2020:
Here Are the 100 U.S. Cities Where Protesters Were Tear-Gassed
U.S. Stockpile Stuck with 63 Million Doses of Hydroxychloroquine
George Floyd Protests: Who Are Boogaloo Boys, Antifa, and Proud Boys?
Florida, Arizona, and Texas Set Records for New COVID-19 Cases
In general, I’m pretty bearish on the state of the country, the world, and humanity. Since those headlines were published, we’ve had a huge spike in crime rates, an attempted coup, and an insurrection.
But I’d be lying if I said things hadn’t gotten better in some respects. On June 17, 2020, the U.S. recorded about 71,000 new coronavirus cases (that’s the official count; the real number is probably much higher) and more than 900 deaths. Yesterday, we recorded fewer than 400 deaths and fewer than 13,000 new cases. Both of those numbers are still too high, but the trend is in the right direction.
There are other reasons to feel relieved. The president met with allies and they worked together. He met with Putin and they didn’t work together. Biden lost his temper a little bit at a reporter, and then immediately apologized.
Just because we’re in the darkest timeline doesn’t mean that you can’t sometimes get a glimpse of light.
Getting better is hard work—whether it’s losing a few pounds or being more patient with people or being a better citizen. Mostly, I bet on people being too lazy to get better. And usually I’m right. But not always.
To a person, the people who have become members of Bulwark+ are people who are willing to do the hard work that it takes to make the country better. We’ve got to listen to people we disagree with. We’ve got to wrestle with facts we’d rather ignore. We’ve got to work in good faith, even—especially—when others don’t.
Sometimes putting in the work to make the country better isn’t fun. It’s never easy. But take a look at where we were last year, imagine where we could be a year from now, look me in the eye, and try telling me it’s not worth it.
-JVL
