I have not written in a month. I have made fewer calls. I have read and watched less news. I have needed the pace and ease of summer to reconcile my capacity to create change in our current state of existence.
And then last week my wife and I saw Hamilton and I awoke again to the reality that every action matters, life is short and I feel an imperative to participate, to activate and create a community and country where all people are equal.
From the moment the first note struck in that darkened theater, I cried. I am not a big crier. Often I want to be and accessing my tears has never come easily. Yet, throughout this show, I had a nonstop stream.
I cried for so many reasons.
Lin Manuel's utter brilliance as experiencing genius at that level overwhelms me.
Recalling the casts plea to Mike Pence immediately following the election. A plea that seems to have fallen on deaf ears and, yet, so urgently conveyed the sense of safety we all were craving, that we still crave.
And mostly, because of the integrity, conviction, imperative that Hamilton and our Founding Father's had in designing our country.
The foresight shown in creating the Constitution, the Executive branches of Government and Hamilton's insight in writing the Federalist papers is simply astounding. They designed a system of checks and balances to protect us from where we are today. Hamilton had the foresight to give Electors permission to overthrow States votes on a unfit President-elect. We have a system that is designed to stop the corruption and chaos we're living through, because in the late 1700's there were enough people in the room where it happened with integrity and a desire to create change.
What continues to strike me is the marriage of conviction and integrity. That integrity, knowing what our values are and what we believing is worth fighting for, creates the conviction to persevere in the unknown and darkness.
That said, there was (and still is) much about that time in history that has scarred the psychology of our country. We may never recovery from slavery, certainly many in the South can't seem to get over it. We must never gloss over the truth of the statement - No Justice, No Peace. Justice, integrity, honesty, morality, love are our guiding principles and it is through these principles, principles that Hamilton seemed to possess, that we will write our history to be inclusive of and caring for all people.
There have been so many times in history when our voices as citizens mattered. This is one of those times. We are creating our present and our future through our participation. The only way to heal this divide is to heal the divide within in ourselves, by forgiving ourselves for our vulnerable humanity and by recognizing that until all people are safe, equal and free by law none of us are safe, equal are free.
Until we have Universal Healthcare, we are not living up to our potential or our promise as a great country.
TODAY'S EASY ACTIVISM -
CALL YOUR SENATORS ABOUT HEALTHCARE TODAY.
If you are a blue state person - call Dean Heller in Nevada - (202) 224-6244, call John McCain - (202) 224-2235 and Jeff Flake in Arizona - (202) 224-4521, call Susan Collins in Maine - (202) 224-2523, call Rob Portman in Ohio - (202) 224-3353.
Pick a red state and make a call.
Like Lin Manuel's Hamilton, we are not throwing away our shot.
With love and gratitude -
:: genessa