War

A neighbor told Gabe her dad was working for the government in Texas; Gabe asked if he was going to be "in the war"?. I don't mean to jump to conclusions but connecting government and war so immediately concerns me, especially in the mind of a 7 year old. Still, in the current social and political context, what are images associated with government? War is definitely one; our government is engaged in physical wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and engaged in wars of words with many others.

We are in the midst of a presidential election and on the brink of controversy over the Democratic nominee. The electoral and popular votes are potentially at odds in casting the ultimate decision. We are debating whether Florida and Michigan should now count or whether there should be a re-do. It sounds vaguely familiar. It is no wonder that our young adults are so cynical about the political realm.

I have, and continue to discipline myself, with the audacity of hope....but it is a discipline. How can we teach our children and our young adults the power of government to do good in the world? Are there models of hope and good that I am missing? How can we galvanize the current interest in politics into a full-fledged revival of the role of government in and for the people?

Given the current realities, this is war. How oxymoric to be at war for hope.