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New Year, New America?
In a couple of days, the world will usher in a new year, 2022. As with every new year, many Americans will make New Year’s resolutions. They will resolve to exercise more, eat healthier, quit smoking, or lose weight. However, maybe our resolutions should be the ones that will collectively make us better as a country. In the past few years, the fabric of democracy has been slowly unraveling as partisan divides have used it in their tug of war.
Americans have suffered collective trauma under the weight of a global pandemic and the uncertainty of the direction of our nation. 2020 ushered in a new decade, and soon after, the world would shut down as novel coronavirus would blanket the world, stealing the lives of loved ones, friends, families, and acquaintances. As Americans looked to their president for leadership and a calm, steady tone of reassurance, they were fed a diet of erratic pressers, science-denying misinformation, and fear-mongering. The same year, Americans made their voices heard. In what would be historic voter turnout, Americans sent a clear message they were haggard, fed up, and ready for a new president. But 45 wouldn’t go quietly.
As 2020 came to a close, Americans counted down the days to a new year and looked toward 2021 with hope and optimism. Six days into 2021, the sitting president unleashed his supporters on the US Capitol as they stormed the building in…
