"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" the fraudulent "wizard" cried as those who had desperately put their hope in him stood in stunned horror. The curtain had fallen away, and the ugly truth was staring the weary travelers in the face. The damsel who wanted to go home, the lion who needed courage, the scarecrow who wanted a brain, and the tin man who longed for a heart - had put all of their eggs into one basket. And they were duped.
Can anyone relate to this iconic "Wizard of Oz" scene? When I think of it, the striking similarities to today's political and cultural landscape spring to mind faster than you can say, "there's no place like home."
Republicans.
Democrats.
Politicians.
Police.
Pro-Life.
Pro-Choice.
Liberal.
Conservative.
Black Lives Matter.
Mainstream media.
Fox News.
Pandemic.
Masks.
Protesters.
Rioters.
Immigration.
NRA.
Trump.
Obama.
Joe.
Kamala.
Fill in the blank...
They're all fraudulent, wrong, dangerous, stupid, or evil. That's what I hear on the news, read on social media, and experience in conversations these days.
And guess what? You're right. To some extent and on some level - you are ALL correct. Because everything - whether it's being touted, triumphed, bashed, or hated right now - is built and executed by flawed humans with limited and ever-evolving knowledge, experience, and understanding. And that fact will never change.
When we put all of our hope and trust in a party, a system, a person, or a movement, it won't be long until malfunctions occur and the curtain falls to reveal the things you didn't want to see. Sooner or later, we're going to have to decide: Turn a blind eye to the hypocrisy - or face the truth? Allow the party, system, person, or movement to think for us - or think for ourselves? Be lock-step loyal - or intellectually honest?
I can't be bullied or shamed into action or changed by people who appear to have chosen the former over the latter. But I can be persuaded by sound, honest ideas presented with passion, intelligence, and, most of all, respect. Can we fight for what we believe in without destroying those delicate, thin cords of decency that bind us together as one human race?
Those weary travelers in the Wizard of Oz could have chosen to part ways based on their thoughts and strong opinions about what they had experienced - but they didn't. Instead, they stuck together. They got angry - together. They offered grace - together, and then they sought solutions - together. They looked out for each other to the end.
That merry band of misfits didn't survive their dangerous journey and come so far just to be sidelined and divided by the inevitable reality of disappointment and unmet expectations in an imperfect world. I think they knew that they were better than that.
Let's let the end-goal of all we think, do, and say be a peaceful, healthy, united republic that values our differences, fights the worthy, necessary, and good fights together, and earnestly seeks to find the good in each other. Just like our friends in Oz.
Because, really - when you get down to the heart of the matter - we all just want to go home.