Old News

Today there is stillness in the early hours. The temperature is 52 degrees fahrenheit and it is Thursday.

Not sure where we will land as a society, but it is old news that we have had to jump through hoops before. Especially those of us who had to adjust to life as children of bi-cultural, immigrant families, the experience of America was always uncertain as to where we might land. As it turns out, there were many such families - not just the ones were descended from different continents, but it was so for those were descended from generations of native-born ancestors here. The thing that made it different for the newcomers was that there were no written histories about us that spoke in context. The effect was a giant search. Discovering identity was a big part of the journey to find belonging and a way to contribute to the emergence of a new society. The discoveries were supposed to lead to enrichment. At least, that was the theory.

But really, it was jumping through hoops to survive. We still today do what is needed to make it possible to work (like grandma stitching boxes and boxes of silk ties), to find shelter (even as redlining was used to create barriers), to worship (in ancient traditions maybe not connected to the Abrahamic traditions).

How many times did we watch as children, the hoops that had to be jumped by our parents - pretending not to have intelligence, pretending not to know what was happening as political and social attitudes tried to halt our inclusion, pretending that they might surrender their core. Our parents were brave, insightful, and genuinely appreciative of having the chance to be a part of something that was a vision of weaving a new kind of social fabric in which our family's stories would be a part of a story of how to live in peace. That's what most wanted. Peace.

We saw something start to shift and uplift - for a minute.

Today, there are new hoops and it is both harder and easier in some ways. It's hard because some are being pushed into holes that feel like burials. It is a little easier because origin stories have been written, poets and artists have emerged to reach the heart, and scholars have found the bits and pieces of the journeys that allowed coherent narratives to be shared. All of it allows us to understand and inform the "now".

Whether it is in the realm of politics, economics, academia, entertainment, we are present to this day and the new hoop is to survive through the moment. We still have the energy to keep jumping through hoops, we catch our breath between the moments of joy and despair. We know how to hold on to the fact that our other intelligences, handed down through generations will make sure that we do not lose the essence of lessons shared, all of which are based on caring for one another and finding even more ingenious ways to get through losses and confusing times. We jump for joy, even in the midst of pain and suffering and we clearly see where we must land.

It's old news, and another chance to create a new story.