Where are Hope and Morality
“I’ve been making lists in my head of places I see hope. I’ve been trying to prioritize and pick the best examples. All of them boil down to people being nice to each other. Hope isn’t found in rallies, mobs, or arenas as much as hope is found in individuals and small partnerships. Any hope found in a classroom, a gym, or a convention only comes from individuals being kind to each other… I will try to simplify it as much as possible: be nice. I see hope in people being nice to each other.”
— Brenna K. Sundby (or Mrs. Sundby, to me)
Early Tuesday morning as I was putting the finishing touches on my editorial to prepare for press day, I was saddened to see the obituary of one of my favorite high school teachers appear on Facebook. Mrs. Sundby, who was taken too soon due to a battle with cancer, was actually the first teacher to introduce me to journalism. And within her beautifully written obituary, I found the best quote… I scrapped my editorial from an hour before and was moved to talk about the state of our great nation.
In 2020, it may take a bit of extra seeking, reflecting, and redefining to find hope. Our country is torn down the middle and either side of the extremes are acting out in ways which may not make us proud. But it is important to remember that the scenes shown on CNN or FOX News are the headliners. They are not necessarily indicative of what is happening in our industry, our local communities, or even within our own states.
There is a problem in our nation and I believe a huge part of it is due to it being an election year. Every issue 2020 has thrown at us – COVID-19, racial injustice, wildfires, hurricanes, you name it – has been completely polarized in the name of political campaigning. In my time, I have never witnessed two more opposite, or extreme, presidential candidates in the race. So of course, our nation has followed suit in their choice to support Trump or Biden, and their choice to belittle those supporting the other candidate. And that makes for some ugly news, conversations, and downright saddening days.
A reader tipped me off about a column Pat Goggins wrote in our paper about a year before his passing reiterating the importance of voting. In my search to find said column, I instead found multiple pieces in which Pat urged Americans to do their part to make a change. It was in 2015, leading up to the 2016 election and he preached that it may be one of the most important elections to come. I can’t help but wonder what he would say about November 3, 2020.
All the conflict and polarization is about to boil down to one day where we cast our ballot and find out for certain if our country is ready for a drastic change in leadership or the ‘silent majority’ once again chooses the bold direction of President Trump. Regardless of which side of the spectrum you land on, your vote is perhaps more important this year than ever before. Whichever candidate wins is going to have extreme support and extreme dislike, so if you intend to voice either, you had better be a part of the decision.
One theme I found interesting in Pat’s columns about voting and fighting for a change as America was headed down the wrong path was his repeated use of the word morality. Several times in his writing that year, he said America needs to choose morality.
Morality is defined as ‘principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior.’
I believe, in 2020, we have seen the people of our nation lose hope and, in some cases, turn a blind eye to morality. As you prepare to cast your ballot and pray for the good Lord’s guidance for this country, keep in mind hope and morality.
As Mrs. Sundby said, hope and morality are not found in the angry mobs breaking windows and lighting fire in the cities. Hope and morality are not found in the usage of pandemic deaths and tallies as a political pawn. Hope and morality are not found in campaign ads blasting an opponent rather than building their own resume.
Hope and morality are tough to find right now. But both are there.
Hope and morality are found in the neighbors of the Sarpy Fire victims hosting a roping and starting a relief fund. Hope and morality are found in the celebration of new life and new marriages. Hope and morality are found in ranchers donating cattle to sell for DMD research.
Hope and morality still exist – we just need to define it, seek it, pray for it, and choose it each day.