Today I’ve been looking at photo albums and yearbooks. The days of innocence were precious and hopeful. Too many of us have decided that present days will be history soon, and we should sit quietly and ignore what is happening.  Meanwhile recorded history is being revised to avoid the real stories of slavery, the treatment of American Indians, the horrors of war and its effects on families. Many veterans came back changed mentally and physically or didn’t come back at all. Wars enrich the rich, as regular folks face privation and losses. 

I miss the days of my childhood. My greatest joys were swimming, reading, hanging out with friends, riding my bike, roller skating,  playing in the band, going to ball games, and falling in love. I kept a diary, and looking back at it is revealing. I walked through life unafraid and unaware of evil. The government looked after us, kept the people in mind as legislation was considered and passed. There seemed to be more respect and civility among elected officials. Now politicians are consumed with anger, rejecting any ideas posed by the “other” party. People’s needs seem to be ignored. Essential services are decimated. Essential workers whose experience and expertise made sure medicines and workplaces were safe, are eliminated or unfunded and unregulated, as are airlines; in many places groceries are no longer readily available and affordable.

Ideally, police forces would be keeping us safe; hospitals would  be fully staffed; schools would be taking care of all students and their specific needs. Ideally libraries would not be limited to offering only approved books, but would make all books available. This was the country of my youth. 

No one is illegal. Incarceration of immigrants in unhealthy surroundings is cruel and evil. How can life in the U.S. have changed so radically and quickly? What has become of compassion and humanity?  History is already judging us by the reshaping of our place in the world. Once admired and respected, we no longer are. I grieve.