I have a reoccurring dream that someone knocks on my door and tells me there is an “emergency!” I have to leave my house immediately. I never see who issues me the warning, but once awake my dream causes me to consider; for whom would I drop everything and listen? My answer, there aren’t many people, but there are a few.
Those thoughts bring me to a much larger question; is there anyone who most Americans would listen during an emergency? This is a tricky subject, as many would argue we have been in a national emergency at times during the pandemic, however, there hasn’t been a single collective voice who we all trust. When you say it out loud, it is very troubling. But why is it this way?
We used to have a collective sense of believe in health advice from our doctors, moral advice from our leaders in the faith community and even advice on sacrifice or hardship from our president. Americans of the past gathered around their radios and listened to and sacrificed for the national good. The National Park Service sums it up: When the United States declared war after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the government created a system of rationing, limiting the amount of certain goods that a person could purchase because they needed to be diverted to the war effort.Can you imagine that happening now? How about the mandatory military draft that began in 1917 and lasted in one shape or another until 1973? Can you imagine Americans today uniformly respecting the authority of a draft board? As uncomfortable as it is the answer is, likely no, we wouldn’t.
Well then, who would we all listen to? I made a list and then started crossing off names; the president, speaker of the house, surgeon general, governors, the Pope, actors, athletes, retired military leaders. Cross, cross, cross went the names on the list. Almost anyone I could think of is somehow now partisan, and we can’t seem to agree on anything.
What bothers me the most about all of this is Americans seem to have the luxury to disagree about everything in the most fundamental ways. Our noisy townhall of life seems quite indulgent as I sit at my table contemplating the unthinkable news of new warfare started by Russia – I am chilled again. I hope the people of Ukraine can find their north star of trust to help them though as a unified nation. Maybe we can reflect on their resolve in a national emergency.
