In “Take This Sabbath Day,” a season one episode of The West Wing, the priest is telling the president a story.
It is the parable of the man by the rising river. He has ignored the radio report, the helicopter and sailor, all sent to bring him to safety. “God will save me,” he tells them, ignoring their attempts to help. When he perishes and arrives at the gates of St. Peter, he demands an audience with God.
“Why did this happen?” he asks.
To which God responds “I sent you a radio report, a helicopter, and a sailor. What are you doing here?”
I sometimes wonder if the unseen forces of 2020 were sent to scream at us, “We’re sending you a global pandemic, an economic depression, and social injustice. Wake up!” Indeed, it is possible that this administration has even helped: “In this single way,” says Emily Bazelon, of The New York Times, “Trump has, paradoxically, served as an engine of democracy. His appetite for attention has forced more Americans to think about politics. He has made it top of mind.”
While I cannot quite summon up the intestinal fortitude to thank the president, I do think that the parable of 2020 – the perfect storm – is one that I have learned multiple lessons from.
Perhaps the most important? Stay engaged.