I try to resonate with people in my writing. I feel like I’m in a pretty similar place to a lot of others, and I want to write things people can relate to. The nice thing about doing this is that I usually am able to do it in such a way that I don’t have to get into politics or any of the number of things that divide us as a nation.
I was reading an editorial today from Mitch Albom, a famous author and sports writer who lives in Michigan. He explained that he didn’t want to get political (and his genre generally prevented him from doing so) but that it was time to defend his governor and his state. He wrote clearly and plainly about the way his state had been failed by leadership, and more specifically President Trump.
Ohio and Michigan rarely agree on much. An informal survey voted each state the “most hated” by the other. Out here during game week, many Ohioans don’t even use the letter M. All things considered though, on this one I think Ohio and that other state will put divisions aside. We are not Ohio State versus Michigan; we are Midwesterners afraid that we elected the wrong man.
In the last two months, we have learned that the President is more lacking of empathy than virtually anyone in the world who holds a position of power. When a press conference required tact and the viewer needed consoled, we were instead told it was all going to go away. Instead of reaching out to families being impacted by Covid-19, Trump decided to tell everyone how good the economy was going to be. Then, just when it seemed Trump had figured out the seriousness of his neglect, he told everyone he looked forward to packed churches for Easter.
In the last 48 hours, we have learned that Michigan’s governor isn’t allowed to have a title. She is simply “the woman from Michigan.” We have learned that if Donald Trump doesn’t like dealing with you, he encourages his people to not pick up the phone. We have learned that the protective equipment we needed most was donated to China in early February. This is telling because although the act is generous, it takes a special kind of arrogance to believe that what happened there couldn’t happen here.
In the last 24 hours, we found out that President Trump was excited to hear of his nightly ratings. The idea that he could generate more viewership for his speeches than for The Bachelor wowed him to the point that he decided to tweet about it. In those same 24 hours, several hundred more Americans (and a couple thousand more worldwide) passed away due to the coronavirus outbreak.
In the last press conference, he referred to a member of the news media as “you people,” which would have been bad enough even had she not been an African-American. He then explained the news media was always negative and needed to “be nice.” Of course, maybe he would rather this exchange be talked about on newscasts. It may be better than dealing with the truth, which is that Trump has been wrong just about daily on this entire issue.
Here’s what’s crazy about the entire thing: I don’t even care if Trump is wrong or right. It doesn’t matter!
Let’s say a teenage boy drives recklessly and his dad says “that kid is going to get himself hurt someday.” If he gets a call saying his son is injured and in the hospital, is he going to spend his time bragging about how right he was? No! He is going to run, not walk, into the building. He is going to hug his son like he never has before, and hopefully take a moment to thank God that he still can.
Only a narcissist brags about being right in a time of crisis. Only a fool brags about being right when the facts actually say they have been wrong all along. When your nation is being presided over by a narcissistic fool, there’s only one word for that: dangerous.
The governors of Michigan and Ohio have been joined in solidarity during this outbreak. When one makes a move, the other is not far behind. One has a (R) next to his name, the other a (D) next to hers. They haven’t tried to be right or wrong. They have tried to protect their people. They wanted to be on the right side of history, whatever that history ended up looking like.
It’s very possible I will cost myself a social media friend or two by writing this, and it’s quite reasonable to say I should stick to my other topics. That’s fair. I have spent the last two weeks writing about living, loving, and trying to use this time to be a better person. However, a pastor once said to pay special attention to what “breaks your heart.” Right now my heart hurts for those who are suffering and it’s time to speak out.
Tomorrow, we will return to your regularly scheduled blog. Thanks.