Not Normal - A New Normal

On Saturday I said that life was returning to normal. I probably should have said that it's returning to a new normal, because the "normal" of two weeks ago is not the "normal" of today, nor should it be. It was insensitive of me to not take into account that we need a NEW normal - a normal of patience, a normal of kindness, a normal of true equality. We're a young country, as has been pointed out in a few posts that I've read. We're young, and we're still finding our balance. We'll get there, and these uprisings and new portions of history are part of that new balance. 

We're moving into a New Normal and it's time for some
changes for all of us. Change is part of the human
condition and status societies are dead societies. 

It's never easy to make changes that shake foundations. It wasn't easy when men suddenly met women at the polls after women finally won the right to vote. It wasn't easy when the first black children were escorted to school under the new laws of equality in education. It wasn't easy when an acknowledgement of right to live without persecution finally began to be uttered and legalized after Stonewall. Each of the quintessential moments began with a single person saying "No". Each of the movements those moments evolved into were rocky, difficult, and sometimes violent. 

We're shaking the foundations, but from the rubble,
we'll be building something stronger and more
inclusive. Is this the last shaking we'll need? It's
doubtful. Change takes time and lots of effort. 

As a nation, we can't turn out back on our populace - ALL of our populace. We need to talk, and we need to act, but act in supportive ways as well as the occasional confrontational way. We need to understand the vast variety of our populace, their heritage and history, and their vast contributions to our society and our world. We interact with a variety of people every day, but do we really know them? Do we know their history? Their families? Their accomplishments and occasional failures? 

I don't see the world coming together for a huge sing-a-long
of Kumbaya, and would think I had been slipped some
drug if it ever did happen. Humanity isn't that united or
unanimous, and I'm not sure we should be. But we do need
to all work with each other to allow individual expression
and individual safety for all. 

I'm not saying we all need to gather together into one huge sing-a-long of Kumbaya. I am saying that each person has a right to have their own story and that their story enhances yours. Maybe today is the day to make a new friend, to smile a bit more and to listen to someone's story. Maybe today is the day when someone else's history will intersect with your own. It can happen. We can forge this new normal into a stronger, better and more well rounded society. 

Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back tomorrow.