Airplanes always make me feel small. It starts because the plane seems so big while I’m waiting in the terminal, but then once I’m onboard, the plane feels compact. Once I’m in the sky, it always hits me just how insignificant I am, a tiny person on a tiny plane cruising over a tiny piece of land.
This week meant a quick trip Chicago on Monday for work, so this is where my Sagan moment is coming from today. The trip was for training for a mentoring program we are going to implement and part of the training was walking through some of the mentoring curriculum to familiarize ourselves.
And as we sat there, discussing modules about issues like bullying and sexual assault, I couldn’t help but wonder how we explain away the fact that a man who not only demonstrated these behaviors, but continues to proudly flaunt his ability to continue to behave in that manner, was elected President of the United States of America.
I really never saw myself being one of those fuddy-duddies who acts like things were better back in the old days. Never saw that because I know for a lot of people, there weren’t many good days.
But there I sat, dumbfounded. We tell kids that the expectation is to act a certain way. We tell them that being a bully or treating others in negative ways won’t get them anywhere. But the reality is, it can get you elected President of this country.
It can get you elected President of this country.
This isn’t a “Save the children” speech. That just ain’t me.
But how do I wrap my head around this?
It’s a reminder that physical age is not a reflection on maturity. The senior citizens I grew up around experienced the Great Depression, shared wisdom willingly, or were fabulous storytellers.
I’ve never known a senior citizen with such a lack of humility, so it’s hard to process. I guess I expect more from my elders and am left pondering where do we go from here?