FOCUS ON FAMILY AND COMMUNITY
After Donald Trump was elected in 2016, I wrote that the most important task for people — particularly those disconcerted by his election (as I was) — was to focus on the things closer to home.
Community. Family.
We spend untold amounts of time obsessing over what goes on in Washington, D.C., and who is in charge, when most of what matters and affects our lives on a daily basis occurs within our households and neighborhoods.
When I wrote those words, I had not anticipated the events of Jan. 6.
The Capitol — the seat of power in our democratic republic — was sacked by an angry (albeit small and ultimately ineffectual) mob, and the president played a role in inciting those who did the sacking. A Capitol Police officer and four other people were killed. Dozens of those in the mob who can be identified are being arrested. Good.
I’m in no way downplaying the seriousness of this assault, but it failed. On Wednesday, Joe Biden will be our president.
And what I said four years ago is still true.
While our attention and worries are focused on the big, headline-making events of the day — the things beyond our control — our actions and efforts should be concentrated on the local, the things we have the power to change.
Of course, that includes local government — city council, county judges, the school board.
If you haven’t noticed (and in a news cycle like we’ve had, who could blame you?), there’s a lot percolating on these fronts.
It’s these offices and agencies that will determine your property tax rate, how long you’ll be required to wear a mask indoors and what your kids learn (or don’t learn) in school — and where school takes place for that matter.
You should know who is running, what issues animate their candidacies and how they plan to confront potential policy challenges before them.
By getting involved and most importantly, by voting, you’ll get to help guide local policies.
If you still feel paralyzed by fear, remember that the competency of your local police chief is more relevant to your safety and security than who has been appointed attorney general or secretary of defense or even how many National Guard troops have been deployed to Washington.
If you still feel angry with your fellow citizens, you might consider that your relationship with your neighbor is more important than your latest exchange with any number of virtual acquaintances on Facebook or Twitter.
And never forget that your daily encounters with your family and the home environment you create for your kids will impact their lives more profoundly than anything — good or bad — that occurs in Washington. Peace begins at home, after all. It’s undeniable that the pandemic has made family and community life more difficult.
We have been instructed not to gather with our families and friends. We have been told to view everyone with suspicion. We have gone almost a year without the regular, casual encounters that remind us of the goodness all around us.
We’ve been pent up, and we’ve spent far too much time online and far too little investing in our communities.
I’ve wondered this past week or so whether the Capitol riot would have occurred in the absence of the pandemic. My guess is no, for more reasons than I can explore here, but our recent isolation from each other is certainly one of them.
That can’t continue, especially if we want to affect positive change.
America’s communities are great places to live, and it is up to us to keep it that way, regardless of what is happening in Washington.