Letter to Editor: What is Happening to Our Land of the Free and Home of the Brave?

For weeks I have been watching the slow dismantling of my America, the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.  I have also sensed the confusion and frustration of my friends and neighbors. 

I am sad. Not depressed, but a kind of sadness that seems almost universal. What is happening to us, I wondered.  And then I had an AHA!    

I recognized that I was reacting to the betrayal of Truth. The constant barrage of lies, untruths and ‘alternative facts.’

I am a course leader for Chesapeake Forum, an Academy for Lifelong Learning. I created and lead a course called Life Reimagined, where we have the opportunity to become more self-aware in order to lead a more purposeful life.

Last week in class, we talked about valuing and even needing honesty and trustworthiness as well as clarity and certainty. We spoke of the importance of relatedness and community. We recognized many of our feelings and emotions and recognized our frustration and wanting ‘To do something.’

After class I looked through my research and notes. And what I found was very appropriate for today’s state of confusion and uncertainty. I found that people are likely to suffer in an environment dominated by lies and alternative facts. They might experience cognitive dissonance – a psychological conflict between their belief in honesty and the dishonest reality around them. The daily denial of their values can cause chronic stress, anxiety and frustration.

Being forced to accept or ignore dishonesty may lead to what is referred to as moral injury. Moral injury can occur when someone feels they’ve betrayed their core principles, potentially resulting in guilt, shame, and emotional turmoil.  I am certainly feeling an erosion of trust from the constant exposure to lies and “mistruths” or rationalizations.

Then there is mental exhaustion-something I often feel after listening to TV and reading even the most non-partisan print news. The mental gymnastics required to be exposed to this news, to deny or go along with an obvious misrepresentation of the truth can undermine one’s trust in others – the media, institutions (think Supremes) and maybe even their own judgment. Some may even feel isolated if their personal environment is full of what one perceives as lies. Over time, this can lead to sleeplessness and depression.

When someone cannot authentically express a core value like honesty, she may feel as though she is betraying herself. This disconnect from one’s identity can foster low self-esteem and even existential despair. We hear our friends and neighbors say they are afraid to speak out or put up a lawn sign for fear of retribution.

To thrive is such a situation, we may need to find like-minded communities, engage in activism, or develop personal outlets where our own value of honesty can be expressed. Suppressing it too long could cause significant emotional and psychological harm.

Last week we heard from Congressman Jamie Raskin who stepped in for our no-show Representative Andy Harris at a Town Hall in Cambridge. He encouraged us to fight against the encroachment of dysfunction overtaking this administration and suppressing our freedoms 

Organizations like Indivisible and People Power United are here to help us come together in community to share  our frustration and angst by powerfully expressing our values and demanding what we need as well as what we want. We can write to Congress, we can march, we can rally and we can speak truth to power. As I say in Life Reimagined…It’s not too late and we’re not too old.

(Doris) Dodie Theune
St Michaels