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I am watching the birds at my feeder. The chickadees that hop onto the feeder’s perch, grab a seed and then fly away, appear to live harmoniously with each other. I don’t hear anyone radicalizing another or encouraging violence against one amongst their flock because of their political views.
I then turn to my reliable news source that publishes reliable information and read that Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, the new owner of Twitter, the man who said he doesn’t want to make Twitter a “free-for all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences,” has tweeted a horrible lie, presented as truth, about the alleged attempted murder of 82-year-old Paul Pelosi, husband of Rep. Nancy Pelosi. I am angry and scared.
How will our democracy endure if even billionaires are not content with their lives but must pollute the internet with their grievances, their conspiracies, their hatreds? For all his wealth, fame, and millions of Twitter followers, I would not want to trade places with Elon Musk. My life is better than his and instead of envy, I feel only pity for him.
A loud jay lands on the feeder. He is greedy and gulps down the seeds. He can’t get enough. I think about all those other folks in my own flock who don’t have enough. Those Proud Boys, those Oath Keepers, those Three Percenters – what does America have to become for them to be finally content? I shudder at the thought.
Gregory Greenleaf
Harpswell
