Unanimous Unease
This fall’s elections matter. A lot. But they’ll solve nothing. About the best we can hope is they don’t make matters worse.
The questions that gnaw at us most are not going to be answered this fall. Regardless of the outcomes of our upcoming elections, our society will still feel like it is polarized going on paralyzed because we’ll still be constantly told there is a Red America and a Blue America, two nations, divisible, disconnected, one full of contempt for the other.
Most of us will believe what we’re told because of how little we know each other. We can’t—or at least don’t—see how much we are alike, how much we have in common, how we are of one mind on far bigger things than the comparatively trivial matters that partition us.
Americans have many differences, but there’s every indication we are unanimous in our unease. Regardless of our political leanings and party preferences, we all see signs of national decline, we fear our country’s best days are in the rearview mirror, worry that what we have could easily slip from our grasp, doubt our children and grandchildren will have it as good.
No wonder. In my very first article on this platform nearly two years ago, I wrote that “we find ourselves living in a state of emergency. Not one single emergency, mind you. Six all at once.” Six intractable disorders, six sources of distress—economic, social, environmental, medical, moral and political. Six causes of upheaval, insecurity and vulnerability.
Six national emergencies are an immense weight to bear. But upon reflection, there are others every bit as hefty. Dizzying technological change, for one. Artificial Intelligence is producing authentic anxiety. Whether you work with your hands, your head or your heart, it’s easy to see how AI poses a threat to your livelihood.
Whenever so much is so uncertain, people get scared. Frightened people want answers and they want safety. When politicians have neither to give, they offer the only things they always have at the ready. Lies and empty promises.
There’s been lying in politics for as long as there’s been politics. But today’s lying is bigger, bolder, more common, more reckless, more shameless. That’s a sign that the problems that need solving are larger and more vexing than usual. It’s also a sign that quite a few of us are willing and maybe even eager to be told lies.
When things break, it’s natural to look for someone to blame. Not wanting fingers pointed in their own direction, politicians furnish scapegoats. When what’s broken can’t easily be mended, politicians promise they’ll ease your pain and make someone else pay for the medication.
Elections fast approach, as pivotal as any in our country’s history. They won’t cure what ails our society, though. They won’t make us less accepting of lies. They won’t make us brave, unafraid to confront the immense challenges—the national emergencies—before us. They won’t make us more patient and prepared to forego instant gratification. They won’t prompt us to call off the search for scapegoats.
Nope, it’ll have to be the other way around. We’ll have to demand greater honesty of ourselves and others. Steel ourselves to deal forthrightly with unsettling realities. Show the gumption to stay the course even when there’s no immediate payoff, with no shirking responsibility, no shifting blame. Then the results of elections in future years will reflect the change we’ve made.