Even before 2020 the Year of our Lord, the almighty State, I had already regarded this particular idea as truth: elitist politicians installed into positions of power find the utilization of crisis situations as a means for grabbing more power, as well as enacting more of it. In fact, they openly admit to such things: “never let a good crisis go to waste.”
Before this year, the greatest crisis the United States faced in the 21st century was of course 9/11. The rubble from the fallen towers hadn’t even been fully cleared yet and the politicians were already using the crisis as a way to take away our civil liberties — in the name of patriotism of course.
Now, 2020 has brought us Covid-19, the next great crisis of this century. I don’t need to go into all that’s been said about government’s response to the pandemic. We know the tensions, the competing narratives (rather, the dominate one that attempts to crush all others), the censorship — all of it. Regardless of how you feel about the response, one thing is for sure: the crisis has certainly not been put to waste. Many of our liberties have been placed on back-burner, perhaps some of them never to return — some seem to be okay with this, however.
When H.L. Mencken said that “most people want security in this world, not liberty,” his sentiment seems to be more true now than it ever has been. I’ve even seen these same folks mock those of us who are concerned over the loss of personal liberty, some mockingly placing “muh rights” in air quotes, as if to say rights don’t matter all that much.
This is a considerably concerning dynamic. Instead of the State having to put effort into utilizing a crisis to their benefit, they can sit back and watch with pleasure as its citizens do the job for them. Clearly, I’m not down with either the former or the latter. However, I’m about to engage in a bit of a twist, because I don’t at all disagree with the sentiment of not letting a crisis go to waste on the personal level.
We, as individuals, have something to learn from the State as far as this sentiment is concerned. When it comes to our own personal crises we should do as they do, but not as a way of imposing demands upon others, but rather as a way to benefit ourselves, which could subsequently lead to possible benefits for others.
Typically, when asked THE question around this time of year, people will respond that they’re thankful for things like “family,” “health,” and “God.” Indeed these are all wonderful things to be thankful for, if you’ve been so blessed. You’ve probably given responses like these, or similar to them. I certainly have.
What you don’t hear as much, however, is people expressing gratitude over the crises they’ve faced. To name some examples, you don’t often see people claiming to be thankful for losing their job, getting a divorce, or experiencing a health crisis. Because why would they? These are all awful things to have to experience; ones we wouldn’t wish upon others.
But say that losing one job could possibly lead to even better one, one that you don’t dread going into each morning. Consider that that divorce can become a sort of awakening for you, one that’s helped you become more aware of your relationships with others and how you can improve them. And perhaps that health crisis can lead you to becoming more proactive about your health, leading you to exercising more consistently and developing better eating habits.
These are just three examples of an infinite amount of personal crises that could lead to a better, more purposeful life than the one we had before we experienced them. In essence, this is how we can follow the example of the government’s “don’t let a crisis go to waste” tactic. However, when the government engages in this effort, the beneficiary is either itself, or those they pocket or vice versa.
But when we engage in such a tactic we benefit ourselves, as already stated. We can also benefit others, something the government promises to us but almost never delivers on. Because a government-created “benefit” eventually must be provided through some imposition of force. When we create benefits for others by becoming more wholesome beings ourselves, no amount of force is necessary.
So, per usual, let’s express some gratitude this Thanksgiving. Certainly let’s be thankful for the good, but also for the bad. And as distinct individuals, let’s not let anything go to waste.