Grappling is a really rough sounding word. By definition, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, it has several meanings, but what I have in mind here is a combination of two: It can be a noun when it denotes an actual hook device used in climbing and it is also used as a synonym for a struggle or a fight.
For me it conjures up pictures of climbing up a steep cliff face with nothing but a little rope and the might of my own muscles. This is scary because I am not very strong and I don’t know if that rope can hold me. I suppose that means I am not sure if I am grappling with something I can handle.
I have a feeling a lot of people are feeling that way just now.
Of course, there are many folks who are happy with the current state of affairs and all I can say to them is ‘Mazel Tov’ and I will check in with you later.
Then comes the rationalizations, such as, “it can’t be all that bad.” Or, “We survived this once before,” which is technically true. But…we just have no idea how things are going to turn out this time. It could be truly catastropic or it could be just a slow unraveling of the the support ropes we all thought we could rely on. And let’s face it, those ropes have been fraying in American society for some time now.
I guess the question is whether or not we are going to stop using harnesses and ropes completely and just free climb and see who makes it to the top and whoever doesn’t just falls and ‘that’s just the way it is.’ And that is one of the things that I find most difficult to grapple with.
What about everyone who falls? Does anyone care? How did we get here? This is the opposite of a “God fearing nation” from what I can tell. If we are “God fearing” we should be preoccupied with state of our fellow humans. Social justice and the plight of those less fortunate are cornerstones of all of the Abrahamic religions and definitely are at the forefront of the faith most people claim is “American,” Christianity.
So, why the disconnect?
I don’t know. I don’t understand how we have failed so badly as a society and that our beloved rugged individualism, once a trait that led to success, is so utterly failing us now. And it is. It is failing us.
Saying that everyone has an equal chance to make it or break it in America is simply not true any longer and if you think it is you are misinformed and or in denial. We don’t all get the same chances. The playing field is no where near level.
And that is what I am having a really hard time grappling with just now. I might be able to tie another knot in my rope and hang on through whatever is coming next but I don’t know if someone climbing down below me is going to fall. Hell, I could fall too.
Nothing is certain.
We can take nothing for granted.
It is all up for grabs by people who are not looking out for us. They are looking out for themselves and their wallets, nothing more.
I am still grappling and I think will be for some time. What about you?
P. S. I wrote this the second week of November.