Growing up we learn about kindness. We’re taught to share toys, help neighbors, treat people with respect and compassion. And when we find ourselves in need, we appreciate the kindness of others.
We also learn about cruelty. In history class, movies and TV, the words of a schoolyard bully. And we learn that justice and decency usually triumph.
Suddenly everything is upside down. Each day there are unjustified firings, cuts to research funding that put lives at risk, reductions in veteran and senior services, student visas revoked, deportations without cause, law firms silenced, universities threatened, allies punished, food assistance cut, and more. Senseless callousness abounds.
Is this who we are now? Is it who we want to be?
One of the most devasting developments for us has been the shuttering of USAID – the agency that saves lives and helps people escape poverty around the world, including in refugee camps. Our team knows families in those camps who are fleeing persecution and depend on the kindness of Americans for food, shelter and medicine. The speed with which our compassion came to an abrupt end is a measure of the inhumanity behind the decision.
It's not that USAID or other government agencies aren’t in need of reform – every citizen in every country should demand their government eliminate waste and fraud.
But when we ask people of all political affiliations if this is who they want America to be, the answer is no. Some are celebrating, but most didn’t expect or want this.
This is not who we are.
