Excavation and Reclamation
I realize I haven't lived all that long, and my experience is limited. That's not something I can do anything about, except to continue living. That said, I have begun to feel a small amount of perspective regarding the last decade.
I'd say, around late 2000, that America started digging. At first we were just kicking at the dirt, looking down at our soiled shoes and lamenting some annoying circumstances. We were miffed, but whatever. Nothing's really that serious.
Except, that locked our gaze downward. That fertile, loose soil was moved aside. We felt a bit disillusioned, and started digging for answers. We dug for separate reasons, for opposing reasons, but everyone held a shovel. We got a pick axe, a bulldozer, and some dynamite. We kept digging, thinking that we'll hit the bottom. Things can't go much further than this, and when they did, well, it was only another inch or two. Another foot or two. Whatever.
From where I was standing, we didn't look up until 2008. Oh, hey, there's the sky - and oh, hey, look how far down we've gotten ourselves. Did we hit a sinkhole, or something? How did we possibly fall this far? No matter, we remember what the surface was like, we can probably climb back up easily.
Except, that canyon was very steep. We didn't leave any footholds for ourselves, and have been trying to scale the walls with only our mistakes to step on. There are tons of people down here, but it feels like the same disembodied voices that said we couldn't get any deeper are now the ones saying we'll never reach the surface again.
I don't know where we are right now - the canyon's been a part of my entire adult life. But I just felt the wind blow. It wasn't the brief gust that reminded us there is a sky, still. It was something else - something I'm not sure I've ever felt before. I could smell the air that only seemed to exist in the memories of others. I could taste that sky. It made it a real thing, something tangible - no longer an illusion. I don't know if that means we're much closer to the top. It probably doesn't. The sense of a better reality itself may be an illusion - but illusions are powerful things, and I'm holding onto this one until it does become real.
I'd say, around late 2000, that America started digging. At first we were just kicking at the dirt, looking down at our soiled shoes and lamenting some annoying circumstances. We were miffed, but whatever. Nothing's really that serious.
Except, that locked our gaze downward. That fertile, loose soil was moved aside. We felt a bit disillusioned, and started digging for answers. We dug for separate reasons, for opposing reasons, but everyone held a shovel. We got a pick axe, a bulldozer, and some dynamite. We kept digging, thinking that we'll hit the bottom. Things can't go much further than this, and when they did, well, it was only another inch or two. Another foot or two. Whatever.
From where I was standing, we didn't look up until 2008. Oh, hey, there's the sky - and oh, hey, look how far down we've gotten ourselves. Did we hit a sinkhole, or something? How did we possibly fall this far? No matter, we remember what the surface was like, we can probably climb back up easily.
Except, that canyon was very steep. We didn't leave any footholds for ourselves, and have been trying to scale the walls with only our mistakes to step on. There are tons of people down here, but it feels like the same disembodied voices that said we couldn't get any deeper are now the ones saying we'll never reach the surface again.
I don't know where we are right now - the canyon's been a part of my entire adult life. But I just felt the wind blow. It wasn't the brief gust that reminded us there is a sky, still. It was something else - something I'm not sure I've ever felt before. I could smell the air that only seemed to exist in the memories of others. I could taste that sky. It made it a real thing, something tangible - no longer an illusion. I don't know if that means we're much closer to the top. It probably doesn't. The sense of a better reality itself may be an illusion - but illusions are powerful things, and I'm holding onto this one until it does become real.