Nation is becoming lost in competing ideologies

I was in New York on that ing. We have lost our sense of in a friend’s most excellent lisurface, indicates a level of disinIt’s on the left and the right. September 11, 19 years ago. The national priorities. brary and found myself readterested conviction. It must allow We are falling into ideology. darkness that descended that The most important job in the ing from Vaclav Havel’s 1978 esthe greengrocer to say, ‘ What’s People are looking for meanday and the hope country isn’t the presidency. It’s say “The Power of the Powerwrong with theworkers of the ing in politics and thereby makthat rose from it the often-hidden work of parless.” These words jumped out at world uniting?’ Thus the sign ing it about somuchmore than are indelible parts ents in homes, trying their best me, as they seem to be describhelps the greengrocer concealit ever should be. Politics as reof everyone who to live and teach virtue. We ing scenes from 2020: “If the ing the low foundations of power. ligion. As meaning. Joe Biden lived through the should be doing whatever we greengrocer had been instructed It hides them behind something and Donald Trump have become attacks, especially, can to support those parents, esto display the slogan, ‘I am afraid high. And that something is ideidols. Rather than admit that yet of course, those pecially the single or low-income and therefore unquestionably ology ...” again we aremaking a lesser-ofwho lost famones. obedient,’ he would not be nearly Havel continued: “Ideology, two-evils choice in our national ily or friends that I recently visited some old as indifferent to its semantics, in creating a bridge of excuses election, we see somanymaking day. The tragedy haunts on Capitol Hill in D.C., even though the statement would between the system and the inidols out of candidates and parties.andthelessonswhereInoticedallthelawnreflectthetruth.Thegreengro-dividual,spanstheabyssbewe learned from it could come signs. They were mostly variacer would be embarrassed and tween the aims of the system There is a pure love of democin handy at this difficult time in tions of Black Lives Matter. And ashamed to put such an unequivand the aims of life. It pretends racy and the American experour nation’s history. they absolutely do. But what ocal statement of his own degrathat the requirements of the iment that is being lost to re

The coronavirus pandemic does that mean, practically dation in the shop window, and system derive from the requireceived wisdom and social media could help us remember our speaking? Do these signs reprequite naturally so, for he is a huments of life. It is a world of aparguments. As we move toward gifts and strive to live with resent “virtue signaling,” or a funman being and thus has a sense pearances trying to pass for rea national election, we ought to newed priorities, gratitude and damental shift in the way our of his own dignity. To overcome ality.” be remembering what’s right in zeal for life. Instead, we see a nation thinks of some of its citthis complication, his expression Havel’swords ring all too true. America and raising a generacountry in flames in more ways izens? of loyalty must take the formof a What have we done to ourselves? tion that will cherish what is left than one. Let it serve as a warn- While in D.C., I also stopped sign which, at least on its textual There is a contagion in our land. of the best.