Missing Joy...

by Skip Cohen

​I saw this piece posted on my FB notifications a few weeks ago. It hit me hard then, and I've since read it several times. For the most part, I've stayed out of the social media battles over the current state of America. I've stayed away from all the bullshit...even held back on commenting on all the fake news that people from both sides jump on. 

When I read this piece by Elayne Griffin Baker, written in 2020, I couldn't get it out of my mind. It's not just about the lack of joy but also about pride. I've watched friends withdraw; friends leave the country and done my best to search out the truth in the news, a virtually impossible task. 

The poem says it all...no need for me to comment further...and if it results in some of my readers no longer following me, our "friendship" would have disappeared sooner or later anyway.

There's no art in this White House.

There's no literature, no poetry, no music.

There are no pets in this White House, no loyal man's best friend, no Socks the family cat, no kids science fairs.

No time when the president takes off his blue suit red tie uniform and becomes human, except when he puts on his white shirt-khaki pants uniform and hides from Americans to play golf.

There are no images of the First Family enjoying themselves together in a moment of relaxation.
No Obamas on the beach in Hawaii moments, or Bushes fishing in Kennebunkport.
No Reagans on horseback, no Kennedy's playing touch football on the Cape.

Where'd that country go?

Where did all the fun, the joy and the expression of love and happiness go?

We used to be a country that did the Ice Bucket Challenge and raised millions for charity.

​We used to have a President that calmed and soothed the nation instead of dividing it, and a First Lady who planted a garden instead of ripping one out.

We are rudderless and joyless.

We have lost the cultural aspect of society that make America great.

We have lost our mojo, our fun, our happiness, our cheering on of others.

The shared experience of humanity that makes it all worth it.

The challenges and the triumps that we shared and celebrated.

The unique can-do spirit that America has always been known for.

We are lost.

We have lost so much in so short a time.

-Elayne Griffin Baker-​

My apologies to the author of this footnote below. It was on the FB notifications page with the poem above. If someone knows the author I'll update this post.

Across the world, we are watching the rise of strongmen who sneer at laughter unless it's aimed downward. Who confuse control with leadership. Who rip up gardens instead of planting seeds. And people feel it. Even if they can't name it, they know something is missing. The absence of joy is not visible. It's a heaviness that settles over everything. It's the dull ache of a country that no longer pauses to cheer for each other, to laugh, to mourn, to dream.

Without joy, what are we even fighting for? What are we building? Power alone is not a vision. Authority without empathy is not greatness. A nation without joy is not leading the world, it's warning it. So let's stop pretending this is just about policy.  The mood of a leader shapes the mood of a country. And when that tone is mean, vindictive, hollow, and cold, it spreads. It settles into the bones of a nation. People are not machines. We are not here only to consume, to obey, to win. We are here to live. To feel. To connect. And to make something beautiful together, even if just for a moment.

There's nothing more I can add...except that it's going to take each and everyone of us to get America back.