Wake Up! We Need Each Other

I'm going to make some assumptions right now. Though my friends are very diverse in their histories, passions, talents, and habits...I bet you all woke up this morning.

It’s likely you woke up in a bed. Someone made that bed. I don’t mean “made” it as in putting on sheets and blankets. I mean, somebody constructed that bed. Somebody gathered the materials for it. Somebody moved the materials large distances.

Somebody made money for the bed. And I don’t just mean making money as in earning it. I mean, somebody made the bills that paid for it, and made sure they had value. Or somebody made the credit card and the technology for conveying worth through wires and waves so you can have what you need.

Obviously, these somebodies are many, many people. Workers, builders, transporters, accountants, minters, movers…. All for one bed. One bed that you sleep on each night, alone or with a loved one or with cats or dogs. One bed that you dream on.

Government makes sure that your money means something. It makes sure the roads work, that the materials are safe, that people don’t come in and take your belongings.

It does more than that, too.

When you got out of bed, you were probably in a house with heat and water. You might have turned on lights or opened the refrigerator to take out eggs. Maybe you complained that the eggs were super-pricey… but you assume they will not be contaminated.

All of these infrastructures of comfort are supported by governmental structures. There are regulations that keep the utilities secure and consistent, and that support the farmers in years when crops are low. Governments allow funds to go to research for technological advances and medical precautions. Governments provide a safety net when disasters occur.

Let’s go back to this morning. Because, yes, there’s more!

Maybe you went online to look at the news, or turned on the tv or the radio, or looked at a newspaper. You might have gone to school, or to a job (for which you prepared with years of schooling.) You might have driven there, or taken public transportation. Maybe you’re looking forward to trip to Europe over Spring break, or maybe to a visit to another city. After work, maybe you stopped to mail a letter or pick up a book from the library.

Public education, grants, postal service, libraries— government helps these parts of society. There isn’t anarchy on the roads because someone keeps track of the lights, someone paints the lines on the streets, someone takes care of the street lights. Air traffic control works to make our flights safe, and international agreements allow us to travel out of the country and come back.

I think you know where I’m going with this. All of the infrastructures that make our lives comfortable are part of intricate systems. Government is like the oil in the machine— it helps keep everything moving by having rules, offering funding, and taking care of challenges before they get out of hand.

Many people are turned off of politics. I get it! There’s a lot of bitter language in this world of powermongering. But politicians are supposed to make the rules that keep the infrastructures running safely, that organize us into a coherent society. Politicians also are supposed to keep healthy connections with our allies and to protect us from any foes.

What we’ve seen in the past few weeks is a series of executive orders that have chipped away at all of these systems. Education, transportation, energy, research, medicine— they’re all being affected by sudden decisions based on revenge. Meanwhile, we are alienating our allies and opening doors through which our foes can break in.

This morning, we woke up safely. I don’t know about you, but I had a lovely day. These structures have been in place for a long time and we take them for granted.

What happens when the safety net is taken away?

I don’t want to find out.