The systematic breakdown of our society

When I look out at everything happening today in the United States, I see the underpinnings of the collapse of our society. Record unemployment higher than seen during the great depression. Civil unrest fueled by isolation due to a deadly pandemic still ongoing across the world. Blatant racism in the streets fueling hatred and escalating retaliation. Desperation fueled by rapid descents into poverty and a lack of financial security. Political dogma that has become more of a religion with extremists on each side viewing each other as the enemy.  Policies and government aid that have provided the most relief to the wealthy while ignoring the middle class as its imploding. And to top it all off, unqualified leaders in the highest positions of power who have no interest in governing, who prefer to incite violence rather than bring us together in the most critical of moments.

This is how a society crumbles, and as I watch it all happening around me, I don’t know what to do. I can’t be the only one who sees it, there have to be people in positions of power, of influence, who have the ears of those who can clearly communicate this to those who can stop the blood loss. There have been too many cuts and we’re bleeding out as a country. If we don’t stop the flow now, our society will flat-line. We are not invincible, the foolishness of blind patriotism will lead to ruin. If you care about America, remember that America is its people, all of us. As we’ve seen with Covid-19, the pillars of our society aren’t the financial markets or the fortune 500 companies. It’s the working- and middle-class families, the small business owners, the people living paycheck to paycheck working the jobs that make our society function. Many of those people are hurting right now, many of those people are angry right now.

This is for real America, our society is collapsing as every minute passes, and it’s not going to get better unless we can come together and perform the CPR necessary to sustain life. All of us must come together, there is too much division right now, too much “What’s in it for me.” When we are focused on that narrow view, we miss the interdependent systems that support our reality. Without those systems, everything grinds to a halt. If you had any illusion of this before the lock-downs started, it should be starkly apparent now. Take that knowledge, that experience you just had and apply it to everything going on around us . Please see beyond the partisanship, beyond the headlines. This is our society, and it is collapsing right before our eyes.