Where we place power

Fencing along Route 106 in South Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Looking back at 2020, one could call it the year of opposites, and the contrasts have not been subtle. 

The examples, whose struggles are accentuated by the pandemic, are many: healthy and sick, rich and poor, employed and unemployed, pro-justice and pro-status quo. We can certainly throw in political persuasions, as those weigh heavily on many minds in the run-up to the election. 

Indeed, these stark contrasts have stoked fear of the unknown and led to many questions about what people can do to improve the situation. One important step is to push back against the suggestion that the tension between opposites has the final call, and can control our future. We do this by seeking, embracing and cultivating the commonalities between us — and I believe we have many more similarities as people, than we do differences. These similarities are points of unity, because that unity is the ultimate goal for true progress as a society. 

To realize that progress, we must look outside of any silos we habitually embrace, and seek ways to learn from people with different life experiences. Not only will this expand our individual horizons, but it’s also a way to search for solutions to society’s challenges. If we try to resolve major issues within a familiar way of thinking, we may end up at the same dead ends others have encountered. By diversifying our approach to key issues and working together, new partnerships may lead to new innovations for addressing old problems. 

That may seem a long way off — maybe impossible — amid the current state of things. The election has exacerbated anxieties around a host of issues, and there are understandably concerns about what will happen after the election. Despite those factors, we still have a choice in how we view the world. Instead of viewing it as a huge problem, we can view it as an opportunity — an opportunity to persistently work together to shift power away from negative influences, to positive ones. If we each embrace such efforts and continue them a little each day, we can push back against our fears and put power back on the side of unity. 

— Gareth Henderson