Proof That Words Matter
I’m sitting here in my parents’ house on Jan 6, 2021, at 7:52 pm wondering what on earth happened today; how did we let it get this far? I had been hoping to post a nice review but that went out the window the moment my phone lit up with the news of a coup happening on Capitol Hill. And make no mistake, this was an insurrection in the United States of America. Seriously, google images of coups, in any country, and tell me they don’t look like what happened in D.C. today.
I couldn’t let today pass without comment. I couldn’t watch our democracy be threatened without saying unequivocally that this act of sedition, by a mob on the national mall and by the President of the United States, is a terrifying national disgrace. I’ve spent years studying international affairs. One of the core tenets of democracy is that debate and disagreement bring us closer to a more perfect UNION. But today, our core values of democracy were defiled.
The Moral of Today
In my opinion, the moral of today is that WORDS MATTER! The words we say, those we write, and yes even those that are tweeted. The words of our leaders are often the loudest and most publicized. Today those words, which have been fueling the fires of hatred for years, incited a violent mob. It can’t come as a surprise that a self-proclaimed feminist, who started a blog encouraging literacy and education, would take such a position. LitGirlsRead honors the power of words and encourages and applauds the myriad of voices using their words for good.
I told a friend that the range of emotions which I cycled through today (and yes, rage was one of them) left me feeling sad and scared. Yet watching members of congress resume their duties tonight I am also cautiously hopeful. And so rather than try for anything more profound (and in the spirit of unity) I’ll leave you with the words of Senator Ben Sasse (R – Nebraska). “There are some who want to burn it all down. We met some of them today. But they aren’t going to win. Don’t let them be your prophets. Instead, organize, persuade, but most importantly, love your neighbor.” ( Read the press release and full text of the speech on the Senator’s website)
