I deeply appreciate the depth and care of your posts, and especially this one. Thank you. You speak well about “fragile democracy”. I live in Southern California (Ventura County) and now that the fragility of our political system is so glaringly obvious, I see that same fragility even in the way neighbors react to one another. There’s a …
I deeply appreciate the depth and care of your posts, and especially this one. Thank you. You speak well about “fragile democracy”. I live in Southern California (Ventura County) and now that the fragility of our political system is so glaringly obvious, I see that same fragility even in the way neighbors react to one another. There’s a wariness in simple social exchanges, even at the grocery store, or in waiting rooms. It’s a sad and awkward way to live. I am gingerly trying to find a way to regain my openness to others. You wrote about the “relentless hammering” against norm violations that chip away at democratic institutions. It’s painful to see how some people I know are accepting of it. It has led to a cautiousness and reluctance to engage that wasn’t there before. Anyway, I thank you for your valuable insights. It means a lot to me as we move through this time.
I’m glad it’s helpful - and thanks for the kind words, Deborah. I know what you mean - the US feels darker and more on edge in many ways than it did in my childhood. But I am optimistic in the medium term: there are ways out of crisis, but the next four years are likely to be difficult. I’ll write a post about effectively navigating them, sometime in the coming weeks.
I deeply appreciate the depth and care of your posts, and especially this one. Thank you. You speak well about “fragile democracy”. I live in Southern California (Ventura County) and now that the fragility of our political system is so glaringly obvious, I see that same fragility even in the way neighbors react to one another. There’s a wariness in simple social exchanges, even at the grocery store, or in waiting rooms. It’s a sad and awkward way to live. I am gingerly trying to find a way to regain my openness to others. You wrote about the “relentless hammering” against norm violations that chip away at democratic institutions. It’s painful to see how some people I know are accepting of it. It has led to a cautiousness and reluctance to engage that wasn’t there before. Anyway, I thank you for your valuable insights. It means a lot to me as we move through this time.
I’m glad it’s helpful - and thanks for the kind words, Deborah. I know what you mean - the US feels darker and more on edge in many ways than it did in my childhood. But I am optimistic in the medium term: there are ways out of crisis, but the next four years are likely to be difficult. I’ll write a post about effectively navigating them, sometime in the coming weeks.