Yes, we all want a perfect world! Who wouldn’t? But ours isn’t there yet.
America is more than 2 months into a new governmental regime. The one important task of this or any new administration is to address the wounds and right the wrongs of the previous one. The most glaring wound, at this point, is the fact that America is a house divided, and as such, it cannot stand. We are deeply polarized: Democrats vs Republicans, rich vs poor, young vs old, male vs female, Black vs White, war vs peace, people vs profit, etc.
One day when my daughter was very young, I was working in the house and suddenly heard a terrible commotion—barking, howling, screaming! I rushed outside and found her holding our cat at arms’ length above her head to protect it from a neighbor’s dog. Blood was streaming down her face and my first reaction was panic—surely the terrified cat had scratched her eyes out! I brought child and cat inside, not wanting to know what I was sure was true. But I took a deep breath, dampened a cloth, and sponged off the blood. What a relief to find only a few scratches near her hairline. But the great lesson, the real takeaway from this event, was that if you are afraid to look at a wound it cannot be healed.
This is the theme of Four Winds Journal Spring 2021: Healing our splintered society. As with my daughter’s head wound, we need the courage to look. And that means being willing to share our deepest feelings—not only the pain of frustration at work, at home, in school; or the marginalization we’ve experienced (whether based on our financial worth, cultural background, education or lack of it, religion, language, skin color, or gender)—but our common desire for what we want and need as well. We want to be healthy, and we want good care when we’re not. We want a safe place to live and raise our families, access to a decent education that prepares us for life, work that’s meaningful and pays enough to live comfortably. In short, we all want a chance at “the pursuit of happiness” that our Constitution promises.
I believe that if we are willing to speak out, to share our personal versions of the American experience, we will eventually find common ground—an understanding and appreciation for each other that can support deep healing.
Four Winds Journal invites your comments, articles, artwork, poetry, blog posts, and whatever else you may wish to contribute to this issue. Please refer to our Submission Guidelines for details on how to submit your work.
Submissions Deadline: April 30
Contact us if you have any questions:
505-780-5990
We look forward to sharing your thoughts with the world!