Inauguration Day

Inauguration Day!

To some, this is the end of a tyrant's reign of terror.

To others, this is the start of a savior's journey to heal and unite a bitterly divided nation.

To me, this is our opportunity to better understand what has led us to this inflection point in our history and, better yet, how we can leverage our humanity to temper our extremist tendencies.

Yes, wrongs must be addressed and the perpetrators held accountable for various crimes, but we must resist the urge to pivot from one extreme to the other.

At the end of the day, we are a nation of flawed, selfish and judgmental people. We are also a people who can find the capacity to care and help each other, and our country, to move forward.

As President Biden and Vice President Harris take office, it won't take long before the vocal partisans among us square off with the far right screaming that socialism is ruining our country and the far left complaining that their liberal friends aren't going far enough to dismantle the evils of capitalism.

We, the voters, will turn to our decidedly biased media outlets that push news and opinions that we trust without question. The dividing lines will become clearer and harder to cross.

There are those among us who will continue to weaponize patriotism to widen the chasm. There are others, still, who will seek retribution for real or imagined wrongs committed against them.

Like it or not this is the way we have operated since the founding of our Republic. Yet, it should never be an excuse to act in a blind and reckless manner toward each other.

Yes, a new administration in the White House always instills fear or hope, depending on who is affected by the policies promoted by the president and their party.

Personally, I am thrilled to see Biden and Harris assuming the mantle of leadership. I know there are things they will do that I support and other actions I will question and, possibly, oppose.

I am hopeful they will be respectful of voters like myself, who choose leaders who prefer to build bridges, as opposed to those who eagerly build walls.

It may be a cliche and naive way to look at things, but I prefer to be an optimist until proven otherwise.

So, to President Biden and Vice President Harris I wish you good health and pray you have the mental courage to make decisions for the betterment of our country, no matter our political or ideological leanings.