Define "Great"

 53 days. We are 53 days into the new administration and the headlines continue to be astonishing and troubling. By day 5, I restarted taking my anti-anxiety medication - something I had already been considering for months - but as executive orders began to roll out, my mental health began to plummet. 

Anti-trans legislation, censorship of scientific research and communication, abandonment of foreign organizations, stops of foreign aid, mass layoffs of employees, and more. The news has felt like an inescapable nightmare because behind every one of these shocking, breaking headlines are real people who are suffering, families afraid for their lives and livelihoods. I am also keenly aware that I am not as knowledgable about the intricacies of everything that has happened in these past 53 days because I simply don't think my mental and emotional well-being can handle it. I feel almost entirely helpless to affect any meaningful change. 

As I think back to election season, I remember the seed of hope I felt in Harris's bid for election. This wasn't because I am some flaming liberal or because I am what a bible study attendee once called a "left-wing wackadoodle." It's wild for me to think about now, but in my first presidential election where I was over 18, I voted for Romney-Ryan instead of Obama-Biden. My views have changed and grown over the years. And I cannot overstate how much becoming a mother has shaped my outlook on life. I felt hope when I considered Harris being elected because I simply couldn't imagine a world where a convicted felon would get elected into the highest political office. After the storming of the Capital on January 6, I couldn't imagine a country that would want to go back to that. 

But, alas, we obviously know how that story played out. This new administration has transitioned into power. The nominations for major leadership roles seem to prioritize business acumen over actual experience and expertise in the field. I have already found myself anxiously asking our pediatrician if they're concerned about vaccines being available. I have worried for friends with children who rely on medicare for life-saving and life-sustaining care. I fear what the public school system will look like when Abby goes to kindergarten in the fall. When we go to the grocery store, I worry about rapidly rising costs and especially worry about the economically disadvantaged who already struggled to afford food to eat. 

And, as we live in this new reality, we keep hearing these taglines shouted from the rooftops: make America rich again, make America healthy again, and of course, make America great again. I continue wondering, what do we mean when we say this? What "greatness" are we aspiring towards? What historical "greatness" are we calling on as an ideal? Whatever it means to those who embrace the "Make America Great Again" mentality - I must have a different understanding of what "great" means.

I think of the massive uptick in calls to mental health crisis phone lines, especially in teens and young people - is that great?

I think of the hundreds of thousands of people who have suddenly found themselves out of jobs, some also out of homes as well - is that great?

I think of the families with medically complex children who are afraid of losing insurance coverage, because as broken as our healthcare system is, it does help us avoid crippling medical debt - is that great?

I think of the decades of diplomatic relationships and allies that have been dissolved in an instant - is that great?

I'm sure many individuals much smarter than me would call me naive. Foolish even and blind to business concerns. And maybe I am. Maybe I am naive and foolishly optimistic and wholly unconcerned with wealth and prosperity. I've never thought money and power are what make us great. A measure of our greatness is how the most vulnerable and defenseless in our midst are treated. As Jesus taught and modeled, we become great through humility and service, not power and dominance. We become first by being last. 

We are only on day 53 of approximately 1,460 and I hope we might shift how we are defining "great." Instead of a greatness marked by power over, I long for a world where we define greatness by how the least of us are treated. As the Dalai Lama said, 

"Our prime purpose in this life it to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them."  

 We have some work to do.