(10 minute read)

U2 still from the music video, Bad, 1984

…I’m wide awake
I’m wide awake
Wide awake
I’m not sleeping
Oh, no, no, no

Clayton, Evans, Mullen, Hewson

The above lyrics from the U2 song, Bad, always challenge me. I have found that there are times in my life that I have been less than alert to my surroundings. I have also been less than alert to the people I love.

As a retired associate professor I have a long history of pushing students outside of their comfort zone. Public speaking, group assignments, research papers, or challenging world views. I used a personal mantra of mine for their encouragement.

Fear is a powerful motivator.

That is something that I did not learn early. I wish I had. It might have saved me a lot of heartache.

People who perform well under pressure tell us that they do so despite feeling fear. On the outside they look calm. But inside they are feeling it deep to the bone. Recognizing, accepting, and using that fear to their advantage has always been the difference between success and failure.

The fear I’m writing about here is different. It sneaks up on you. You are unaware that it is there until it’s too late.

I read a recent article written by Tom Nichols. He is a retired professor and staff writer for The Atlantic. The headline grabbed my attention; “Americans Are Sleepwalking Through A National Emergency.” I recommend giving it a read. Then read it again.

Nichols came to my attention after the release of his second book, “The Death of Expertise. The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters.” As a life-long student and educator this short tome is among my top five go-to-books on education. To say it is a work that changed me personally and professionally would be an understatement.

In the article, Nichols writes:

The United States of America is facing a threat from a sometimes violent cult while a nuclear armed power wages war on the border of our closest allies. And yet, many Americans sleepwalk as if they are living in normal times…

Nichols

Many years ago, a teacher of history and colleague made a comment that I’ve never forgot. He said that every generation thinks they are living in unprecedented times. Each generation believes the days and events they are experiencing are like no other. The purpose of the statement was obviously. It is meant to stop us from fooling ourselves. It makes us feel uniquely special to say and think such things.

What history shows, for the most part, is that it tends to repeat itself. However, I think it is safe to say there are some things going on today. that is a “wee bit” different.

Example:

A federal prosecutor has asked a judge to stop the former president of the United States from threatening lawyers and witnesses in his case, and intimidating potential jurors.

As I wrote recently, this is not a normal election…

Nichols

Nichols then writes, “let that paragraph sink in.”

Overall, the days we are living in may not be so different from our past. However, it is safe to say that there are events taking place today that seem to be setting a precedence. Nichols is not prone to hyperbole. Nichols comments in his article fall short of entering into panic mode. But they are the sternest warnings he has given to date.

In America, at least, the citizenry seems to be in a state of sleepwalking. I take Nichols summery seriously.

Politics? Really?

I recognize that there are a handful of regular readers of my sporadic posts here. I am grateful for the time each of you take to read them. Most of the communiques here are simple, personal musings and ideas. Most are generated after years of studying and research that others demand I undertake. Now that I have the time the subjects are finally based on things I am very much interested in.

In other words I am finally writing about what I want to write about.

The reader may be surprised to learn this. With this lengthy posting, which is my longest to date, I am directly launching into the topic of politics. Everything these days seems to be tied to politics. One could go back and read earlier posts. The politics found within them are obvious.

In life, everything is political.

The economy, law enforcement, healthcare, birth-rates, death-rates, education, international relationships, crime, the U.S. penal system. Can anyone read or write anything about these matters without addressing the very politics that directly affect them?

Everything. Is. Political.

Why It Matters

In our daily lives, we are busy with tasks like working a job to support ourselves and our loved ones. Of course, that means each of us are committed to being busy. But if we are honest, in that business there is a lot time spent doing mundane things. During those times we often turn to the world of instant communications. It allows information to reach us rapidly. However, the sheer amount of information has overwhelmed many of us. FOMO (fear of missing out) is one of those things.

It takes an inordinate amount of time to accumulate that information. Processing it takes even longer. Sometimes, we need help to decipher what is going on. We also need assistance to figure out why it matters.

Look To The Experts

For those of us who are high-information citizens, these are tasks that motivate us. They help us make sense of the events that surround us. For low-information citizens all of it matters very little. Being entertained is all that matters.

Nichols’ book comes in handy here. He implores the reader not to summarily dismiss an expert. Instead, you should critically engage and think about the information. Trust the data if deemed viable. That is something that many low-information citizens are loathe to do. It “takes to much work.”

Of course there are many factors that have made it possible for experts to be summarily dismissed. As experts become somewhat of a celebrity some tend to lend opinions outside of their own purview. One of the reasons our society has bucked against the experts is because many of them do get “it” wrong. Being an expert in one area doesn’t make one an expert in all areas. Nichols chastises his colleagues to more or less stay in their own lane.

One of the hazards of having initials behind a name, like Ph.D., is that those who have earned the degrees hesitate to admit ignorance. They are afraid to mouth the words, “I do not know” when answering a question. After all, aren’t they supposed to know …everything? Obviously the answer is …no.

But summarily dismissing an expert because they have the degrees is just plain lazy. Who else can we depend on other than those who have been willing to spend their life studying their field?

If you consider yourself to be a high-information citizen, then by all means do the work. Think about the information first before you throw it away.

The Times, They Are A Changin’

Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin’
And you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The battle outside ragin’
Will soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin’
Please get out of the new one
If you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin’
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’

Bob Dylan, 1964

Seems to be a day for posting song lyrics.

Look, I have to admit up front that I really do not like this song. I’ve never been a fan of most folk music. I absolutely and unapologetically love the lyrics. When they are read like a poem, they are even more powerful. They surpass what anyone’s thread-barred voice can sing (sorry, Mr. Dylan but your son has a better voice).

Dylan wrote this song in 1964 in the midst of turbulent political and social times. If you read them, you will see something interesting. Every line or paragraph is relevant for us today. History tends to repeat itself, only the people and circumstances change.

It Matters

The democracy that is still alive in the U.S. may or may not be in the last throes of its days. It’s not yet time to panic. I, too, tend not to be hyperbolic about things like this almost to a fault. While everyone is panicking like their hair is on fire I’m usually the one admonishing everyone to stay calm.

But when I see a warning like Nichols provides I take that it to heart. Our days may seem overwhelming. After all, what can lowly little old me do to change things? The feeling of imminent impotence looms. However, there is plenty we can do.

The first thing is to simply and strategically …talk about it. Talking may not seem like the best strategy. However, it is important to let people know your questions, comments, or concerns. It is an empowering exercise.

Secondly, if minority voices are raised without an opposing in-kind opinion, the scales are tipped. People may think the minority voice is the majority voice (more on this in a later post).

The Dahlia Llama was once asked; what can one person do against forces that oppose a peaceful and harmonious life?

His answer is surprising.

First, you have to be a person dedicated to living a life of peace and harmony. One life lived that way counteracts ten lives dedicated to death and destruction. Second, if you face forces ready to destroy lives dedicated to peace and harmony, you must combat these forces similarly.

In other words, to defend yourself and others by overcoming those forces with like force.

As a theology major I understand the first part of his answer. It very well could have been uttered by a rabbi, priest, minister, or imam. I’m not sure about the one-to-ten math ratio. There is nothing magical about the earths ether nor is there a giant abacus in the sky counting such things.

The second part of the answer is a lot more radical than I expected. But I equally understand it.

A Country Apart

Many of us may think that right now this country is split in two. Conventional wisdom says so. Half of the country operates on an alternate set of facts and values. The other half operates on facts and values that have long been established.

This narrative that says “because I say it is true, it is true,” is patently FALSE. That group is in the minority. For various reasons (electoral college, media hype or complacency, etc.) it may seem as if that tribe is larger than it is. They are not.

Nearly 3/4 of the population or more continue to operate based on facts. Polling has consistently shown this. They believe in the values that have been in place for decades. When they turn out to vote, it shows.

Many of the things we worry about today were similar things that previous generations concerned themselves with, as well. There are a number of things, though, that are more than unique at this time; i.e., the threat of nuclear annihilation, a political party hellbent on destroying democracy to name two.

When experts I trust advise to be more aware of our surroundings, I take note.

It’s one thing to be committed to a life of peace and harmony. It’s another to do what I can to thwart any forces that are committed to taking that away. The current political climate reveals certain things. It is clear that the minority party is determined to grab and keep power at any cost. See Project 2025 if there was any doubt.

I am doing what I can here to oppose that movement. It may be a voice that only echoes into the void. But I’m committed to being awake and encouraging you to do the same. Then, together, we can pass it on.