Recent worldwide events have shaken my confidence in my ability to see things as they are. I had maintained assumptions that now seem to have been intentionally left unexamined. We want to put our faith in these institutions that we rely on for the lifestyles we've become accustomed to. We're so desperate to believe that because they're made up of people who mean well, that their good intentions will prevail, and we can continue to sail into the promises of progress that may seem alluring but are actually hollow, cynical and cruel. It's blatantly obvious by now that profit and power speak much louder than reason and good intentions, which mostly succumb to the more pervasive pulls of security, comfort and conformity. I've had to reevaluate my underlying assumptions and I challenge others to do the same. It's healthy to study our viewpoints and motivations in the light of day and be aware of where the shadows lay. We all have our blind spots and we've made our share of mistakes. Unfortunately, we're likely to make plenty more. The important thing is that we recognize our mistakes, reconcile and recalibrate. To ignore them and move on is at best a missed opportunity. It also ensures that trust fractures further into the alienation that plagues our society. To strengthen trust we must honor the courage it takes to admit our failures so that we can all benefit from lessons learned and be stronger for it.

Shalimar George