May 4, 2025: Deja Vu

No one can dispute that these last 4 months have been difficult. Tumultuous. Chaotic. Challenging.  Watching the dismantling of our government and the shredding of our Constitution, has caused stress, outrage, and fear for practically everyone. 

         While I agree with those who are labeling this as unprecedented, I am also feeling such déjà vu. The current situation, in my mind, is so similar to the pandemic months of 2020, in so many ways.

-       Economic uncertainty

o   While the economic issues of the pandemic sprung from trying to keep Covid 19 from spreading, and the economic crisis we currently find ourselves in comes directly from the policies of this administration, both bring stress and worry.  Wondering what will happen if we stay on this path and worrying that our economic resources might be stripped from us.

-       Social unrest

o   During both the pandemic and now, people feel the need to let the powers that be know that we are unhappy about the current path. This unrest, while expected, even needed, disrupts any peace and balance that might be present in our lives.  No matter where we turn, the outrage is there.

-       Heightened stress and emotion

o   While this administration rolled into power with support from those who believed that negative consequences would only happen to ‘others’, it is becoming clearer by the day that no one is safe from the impact of their policies and agenda.  Living with this kind of alarm and apprehension is damaging on so many levels.

-       Fear

o   During the pandemic the main source of fear came from the spread of Covid 19.  Who would catch it? Would they survive?  How can we keep ourselves safe from the impact of this virus?  The fear today is coming from the intimidation and bullying tactics of our executive branch. Watching those in the other branches, those in positions of power, those who have more authority and resources than us, fold and capitulate to such evil, feeds our fear. If they do not stand up, how can we?

-       The need to pull inward

o   During the pandemic, we all physically had to retreat to the safety of our homes.  Today we are retreating emotionally and mentally. We are trying to salvage some semblance of peace, even if it is a minute or two when we can take a deep breath and believe that good will triumph over evil.  It is not ignoring the reality of our current state, it is simply trying to find a way to live through it.

-        Governmental policies targeting schools

o   During the pandemic, schools were a flashpoint. Should they open for face-to-face instruction? When? What safety measures should be required? Today, they are once again in the crosshairs of this administration. Dissolving the Department of Education, punishing Universities that want to support diverse students, and stripping funding are all designed to strangle public education in this country so that it can be privatized and monetized.  Public education is the great equalizer, and the powers that be do not support equality.  With public education gone, they then control who learns what.

Like the pandemic crisis, there are also tiny glimmers of hope. Individuals who are standing up for what is right, nuggets of good news amid the sea of destruction, and occasional victories for democracy. Those are the things I will focus on as we all work to push our way to the other side of this chaotic crisis for our nation and the world.