It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind. 

              John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887)

                  Centuries hence it may be asked, What led America to the Great Turn of November 3, 2026? What in our chilling decade-long slide toward fascism caused that sudden, drastic lurch away from catastrophe? Why did a people previously known for reason and industry fall for a crude, greedy, lying, con man, then waken aghast?

                  The economist will look to economics, the sociologist to social trends, the educator to education, the historian to history, the theologian to God, because those are the lenses through which they see; and, having

disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
… each (will have been) partly in the right,
(while) all were in the wrong!

                  My lens is morality. Nations no less than people have souls. Science cannot locate souls, but observers sense them. Our souls evolve with experience. A self or a nation is never the same as it was.

                  The America of my moment slid away from the ostentatious patriotism of our parents into the moral indolence of inheritors. We were born on top of the world – we’d licked our enemies – our economy was flush – what could go wrong? JFK had asked what we could do for our country. Twenty years later, Reagan asked, “Are you better off?” The rich got greedier and less considerate of those with less. We got grouchy with our government and each other. Civility curdled to hostility. It was OK to be angry. Greed was good.

                  We elected – twice – the obnoxious embodiment of our discontent. We found his outlandish crudeness funny. We rooted as he bashed and smashed a government we’d come to abhor. We delighted in breaking and hating. Everybody was our enemy.

                  What fun – only it wasn’t. We glimpsed what we were becoming and we didn’t like it. Did we really loathe Muslims and folks of color and women and veterans and scientists and immigrants and transgender kids and anybody who dared to confront us? Were we really thugs waging war against our friends and neighbors? Was looting our public treasury while shrinking assistance to the needy how we wanted to be? Did we really favor dictators over freedom-fighters?

                  As a ranting adolescent may snap to with a shudder of remorse, so did America. We vomited out our mistake at our first practicable opportunity. Mea culpa, holy moly, this was not who we were! Good people roused themselves to run for office. We wakened from our moral torpor.

                  Was it the Iran war? Inflation? Affordability? The price at the pump? Tariffs? Our war with Canada (Canada?)? The swaggering pomposity of our President and his (rich, white) men? Was it insanely monied folks investing in our bewilderment? Was our malaise material or spiritual? Each had their own outrage – there were so many to choose from. Collectively we roared, Away with them, the whole damn lying thieving smirking gang, even the good ones (if there were any)! Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

                  Have we saved ourselves? We’ve arrested the rot, but now what? Have we spooked ourselves into decency? Will we have the courage to reform? 

                  I’m younger today than a week ago, more vigorous, hopeful. Our new leaders inspire me. While chagrined by who we’ve been, I’m no longer ashamed about who we are. America may be OK yet. That feels grand.