Don’t forget the everyday goodness that still exists in America

Of all the questions I asked my grandparents who lived through the tumultuous 1960s, a time of political strife, immense change and social turmoil, I never asked if they were frightened for their children – my parents, aunts and uncles.

I suppose that’s a sort of historical blindspot. I have always been fascinated in history and family history, asking them to stretch their minds back to the details of people I didn’t know. But I never thought I’d need their wisdom to help survive my own middle age, in the midst of raising children.

I assumed that part of the upheaval then led us to more prosperous, peaceful and stable times, because, after all, when I was growing up, I knew that Ronald Reagan was president. That was about it. I was just a middle-class kid, listening to MTV and playing Atari. We didn’t worry about school shootings, just being picked last on a kickball team, something I routinely lived.

Now, I think about the things my own children must endure. I think of one of my sons who has a dream to open a music store and recording studio, while his friends open a gaming shop and a restaurant with him. My daughter dreams of becoming a pilot, drinking at Starbucks in airports the world over.

This weekend, some of those dreams seemed a little less secure as someone attempted to assassinate former President and Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump. I can’t find the words that convey the amount of sorrow and fear I have for our country that this happened during already politically insecure times. And as much as I have criticized many of the things Trump and his party stand for, I condemn unequivocally this heinous act and pray for Trump’s recovery. Full stop, no exceptions.

There is no what-about-ism here. Some have rushed to make comments on the nature of guns in American society. Others have used the moment as another opportunity to use the incident as a moment to justify their disdain for the other side. This is not the time, and this is not the place.

There will be plenty of opportunity in the upcoming days to discuss the differences between the two presidential choices afforded by the political parties. As we head into the national conventions for both Republicans and Democrats, it’s going to be appropriate and responsible to turn a critical lens toward the vision each side offers. It’s hard to believe that anyone, regardless of party, can’t feel the enormous weight of this very consequential election.

That is not the column for today, though.

Instead, I can only go back to thoughts of my children, even before thinking about what needs to be done for my job as a journalist.

America and Montana, we have a good thing going. Our shared history, which includes some ignoble and tragic moments, has been one of resiliency and doing the right thing. It has been a struggle to form that more perfect union, both at home and abroad.

I want my children to have the same opportunities and live in the same country of possibilities that I did, even though the times of my youth were assuredly more civil if not more calm.

I fear that the immense political pressure and toxicity of social media will continue to have a corrosive effect on our social stability in a way that won’t just make things like elections more difficult, but it will make living harder and harder.

Even after a horrible event and loss of life on Saturday,  I was able to sit down to dinner, with good food, in a comfortable home. I listened as an event in Daylis Stadium happened not far from my house, and there was cheering and live music. I went to look at the garden with hope for the tomatoes and cucumbers, the simplest of summer joys. And in the morning, I had a cup of coffee and said hello to people walking their dogs on the sidewalk in my front walk.

We can’t lose sight of the everyday freedoms and joys that this country affords, even in the midst of political upheaval and uncertainty. We must relish those moments of normalcy and goodness, and remember that regardless of what our neighbor’s bumper stickers or yard signs say, we’re in this together, and we’ve got a good thing going.

Somehow, I think I hear the words of Benjamin Franklin calling throughout the centuries: A republic, if you can keep it.

Darrell Ehrlick is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Montanan, after leading his native state’s largest paper, The Billings Gazette. He is an award-winning journalist, author, historian and teacher, whose career has taken him to North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Utah and Wyoming.