I don’t think that I rattle easily. I can generally observe the world around me and encounter it honestly. I can see that there is both bad and good and for most of my life I have believed that good will prevail. After the occupation of the Capitol yesterday I am left stunned. I am deeply rattled.

I posited a question on social media this morning “Is anyone proud to be an American today?” – And many friends were quick to remind me that they are proud and that this too shall pass. And yet I can’t let go of this nagging feeling that it won’t pass so much as it will recede into a state of dormancy a sort of hibernation.

The question that plagues me, is how could I have been so wrong about my fellow human beings? I have always recognized that there are mainstream schools of thought and tributaries. I have always believed that there was some universal agreement that bound us all together albeit loosely in a shared reality. There was always some wiggle room, always just enough slack to generate conversation and debate over ideas. I really and truly believed that we all agreed upon facts and truth. Yesterday was the first time I realized that there are millions of individuals in the country that no longer care to discriminate or think critically about objective reality. I am still reeling from this epiphany.

If you have ever lived in the Midwest you have encountered Cicadas. These are insects that burrow and lie dormant for years. They emerge from their hibernation all at once, a true plague of locusts. They wreak havoc until the next time they appear years later.

I fear that the Cicadas will be back.