E Pluribus Unum

Out of many, one. That is the unspoken motto that allowed men on the beaches of Normandy to stand against murderous German machine gun fire. It compelled African-Americans and their supporters to march against injustice in the face of water cannons, attack dogs, and rifle fire. It is the reason why first responders did not hesitate to run towards collapsing high rises to share a certain death.

This motto informs us that we are strong because of our diversity. It is a recognition that we are unified by our common values.

Why have people from around the globe sacrificed so much, for so long, just for the privilege of being an American citizen?

I believe it is because we could lay claim to goodness because that essential characteristic was encoded into the documents that initially defined the formation of our nation.

While we have struggled to fulfill our lofty ideals, we have also magnificently triumphed. And we've done all this with full transparency, guided by a self-challenging free press, from within the confines of our magnificent Constitution, and blessed by our roiling democracy. Our goodness was our currency, and the world could depend upon it when a fair broker was needed. America's halo was bright.

In recent years the ideal expressed by e pluribus unum has been brutally crushed by the politics of greed and division. We elected representatives - and one in particular - who have no goodness, no honor, no dignity, no compassion, no truthfulness, no loyalty, and no integrity. We could not have selected leaders who are more antithetical to our best and most cherished values.

The pall of darkness spreading from Washington is like something out of a Tolkien novel. The narcissistic megalomaniac at the heart of it is infected with malevolence and hatred. He is enabled by others who infect us with a steady diet of rage, abuse, contempt, and hatred.

How can we hope to escape from this darkness? How do we recover our goodness? I have asked myself these questions because I recognize that every one of us is called to act. I have felt that I must fight... that I must go to war. But in truth, it is not war I must go to. It is love that I must go to. I am convinced that we cannot escape from this national darkness until we confront the issues of race, injustice, sexism, and economic disparity that have plagued us from the beginning of our democracy. At the same time, we must work on the global level to alleviate the effects of climate change, poverty, overcrowding, and a host of other issues. I see that this all stems from a lack of compassion. Recently, I have decided to commit the remainder of my life, and put my entire body at risk, in the cause of bringing the light of peace and the salve of hope to our world. We all have a calling to heal this broken world. No deity is going to do it for us, save the deity that must awaken within each person.

Wake up! Find the light. Run towards it.