Okay, So Now What?

Now that the marching bands have gone home and the viewing stands have been taken down, what happens now? Now that we find ourselves in the wake of history, what is it that we're supposed to do?

I asked my Facebook friends what they thought of the speech…you know ‘the speech.’ The speech that was to set the tone of our new President’s administration. The speech that gave a brief but powerful look of who and what we are as a people, a state of the nation. The speech that asked the American people to “put away childish things.” That speech that asked all of us to grow up and behave like the decent people we strive to be. The speech that called for responsibility and service to others. That one.

I got a few smart-alecky replies to my query. Some who said that it was the same old rhetoric they’ve heard before. Certainly there were those that were inspired by the speech and some who didn’t think much of it. But no one, (at least those who replied) walked away with the sense of urgency that it is time to get to work, that

“we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”

This then becomes the great question we face…what do we do?

What do we do now that the old guard is gone and our new leaders are in place? Do we wait to hear from our new President? Do we wait to see what happens, to see how he performs before we do anything? What exactly does he mean by ‘living responsibly?’ How much more responsibly do we have to live? Who measures that responsibility? Us or him? Do we not elect our leaders to show us the way, to lead and tell us what to do? What part of the actions required to save our country from ruin stops being our President’s responsibility and starts becoming ours? Does that mean we must live frugal, eco-friendly, self-sacrificing lives from this day forward? And if we do, then how do we know when it’s safe to go back to the way we used to live? How do we when know we’ve won? Will my sacrifice measure up to my neighbor’s? Will I grow to resent those others who don’t do enough when I sacrifice so much more?

There is a reckoning to be made. We live now in a strange, new world. It is a world where we face economic collapse, a failing environment, extremists that work ceaselessly for our demise, a loss of trust in our leaders and in a government more interested in profit than the betterment of those that put them in office, a pervading cynicism that threatens to kill any hope that things will get better. The future looks bleak.

And dire. There is a secret reality and danger to our new President in that we pin all our hopes on him and that he will make things better, that he will lead us out of the valley of the shadow, but that if he fails then we are truly lost, that there will be no hope left. There won’t be a Shire.

Yes, the stakes are high…but the flame of hope still flickers in the darkness. We do still have a choice and even more important, we still have time. But what to do with that choice, what do we do with that time? I offer this exchange of dialogue between Frodo and Gandalf to illustrate my point:

Frodo – I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened. 

Gandalf - So do all who come to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us.

And that is our great task…the answer to “what do we do now.” We must all, individually, decide what to do with the time that’s given to us. This is the great opportunity that lies ahead. That for our new President’s plans and strategies to succeed, we must all find the answers to the questions of responsibility ourselves. We must all be the ones to measure our responsibility.

We must all do what we can, be the change you wish to see in the world, follow what you’re passionate about, be it the environment or local politics or teaching, volunteering, engaging others to join you. I know it all sounds like platitudes and I’m sure I’m coming off preachy and self-righteous. But even if I am, would it matter? Would you hold to your principles and do nothing while the world burns?

If you’ve thought of volunteering with some hesitation and fear, that’s okay. It’s like anything new, but I’ll bet you anything that you’ll feel great doing it. And if that’s the only reason to do it, to feel great, then there’s nothing wrong with that.

Get out there, get involved, live up to the words of our new President when he said,

“In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned.”

So, earn it. Live a life of purpose. I guarantee it will change your life. Which in turn changes the world. And isn't that the point to all of this?