I am sitting here thinking about what it means to be an American. I am wondering how we could have such different opinions. In my travels I have been fortunate to meet many people. Some good some not so much. However I have learned from them all. Have you?
I wonder, Senator, have you ever stopped in a roadside diner only to see a waitress sitting alone, stress in her face, staring into the ether? Have you absorbed that? Have you pondered further as a seat was chosen and a menu opened? Have you imagined her blisters, a result of miles and miles of walking in service to people like you and me?
Have you thought about her back? How her discs might be crumbling and her pain might be overwhelming? Have you wondered about the pain in her eyes? Does that represent abuse she has suffered or trauma from her past? Or did you just order your chili?
I wonder Senator, have you ever stood on a corner and fumbled for the proper Spanish to order a hot dog? Did you make a choice to grow and learn a new language or did you just frown at the foreigner’s lack of English? Did you realize, as I did, that it only takes a few words to make an enemy, or a friend? Did you look at the wear on his hands and see not a “laborer”, but as he assembled a traditional work of flavorful art, a craftsman? Or did you just order extra mustard?
I wonder Senator, have you ever seen a smiling African American child kick a ball in a wet street and rejoice as the mud splashed upon his innocent face? Did you see a future doctor, lawyer, or even President? Did you think he was so different from your family? Did you think about his home, his dreams, or his Mother? Or did you just yell at him to get out of your way?
I wonder, Senator, have you ever seen a dying Veteran, in a hospital, underfunded and underappreciated, rolling in a wheelchair because it was cheaper to amputate than to rebuild? Did you wonder if he is able to sleep at night, if the sound of sirens send him into a panic, if he is haunted by his experiences? Did you reach out to be a sympathetic ear, to try to express your appreciation, or to sit down and listen to birds with him? Or did you just see another expendable line item to fund a tax cut for your wealthy friends?
I wonder Senator, have you ever seen a group of people completely detached from principle, unable to reacquaint themselves with decency, willing to cross any line? Did it occur to you to ask them what is so important that they would disavow everything a Mama would teach them, every lesson their Grandpa tried to impart? Did you ever see a group of people with a price tag on their souls?
I did. Today.
50 of them.
-T