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| Cary Larson-McKay |
Our Hope for the Future
The election has concluded and the results have further illuminated as seldom before: the hope for change; the deep fears for personal, family and group safety; the increase of angry and overt confrontations and attacks based upon perceived race, ethnicity, identity or religion; and general insecurity with the future.
However, what I have found both horrifying, yet hopeful, are many expressions of care and concern as immediate emotions flare over the hot button issues. At times, people are going out of their way to express care and kindness. Still we are deeply divided. There is an overwhelming amount of false and heavily skewed information out there that is intended to further divide us; further inflame already entrenched separations between neighbors, communities and families. The country is divided because of the pain, because of the anger that has been let loose, because of the fear, because of the possibility for decisions to be made that are counter to our deep values and best interests. But one thing I am sure we can agree upon is that our children are at risk.
There is potential for decisions to be made that are neither based upon clear human values, a commitment to high standards of ethics, nor a deep understanding of the systems effects or long-term consequences and impact on everyone in our nation. It is up to each and every one of us to help others understand the meaning of each decision made. We must help others to see the broader impact of each policy, of each action, of each intention. There are real consequences for the children and families that are the heart and soul of our field.
Together we must step-up our advocacy for children and families. We can further our understanding of not only what happens to the children, families and those who teach, but to our entire society and the world by arming ourselves with real (not inflated or created) facts and information to support our advocacy. We must critically examine the reasons for actions and decisions of our lawmakers at all levels of government (city, county, state, and nation) by following what our government officials are proposing. We must help everyone to understand the long-term impact of our actions toward others and toward governance issues by engaging in discussions and sharing the information we have gathered (yes social media is a viable venue). We must actively let others know of the concerns we have by talking to others about our deep concerns and thoughts. We must persistently and vigorously demonstrate a high level of care for others. We must be open and model the deep thinking process that goes with understanding other’s situations, feelings and actions and meet those with our most empathetic reactions—we must stand up for others, we must reach out in support of those who receive undeserved attacks.
We will reap the consequences, good or bad, of the decisions we make now. We know this because we have chosen to work in a field that has children’s best interest at heart, and because we know that children are at the center of all of our futures.