Time travel, empathy and keeping it real during a pandemic
Ask Judge Smith
Judge Layne SmithBecause we enjoy the freedoms of speech and press, we can question and criticize our governments and political leaders without fear of governmental reprisals. This encourages robust debates and the vetting of issues.
Vigorous competition in the “marketplace of ideas” fosters good public policy and accountability.
Although the First and Fourteenth Amendments protect us from abuses by our governments, they don’t protect us from each other.
Today, people are less inclined to listen to one another, communicate in good faith, and give one another the benefit of the doubt. With civility and empathy in short supply, now is the time to focus on our blessings and adjust our perspectives.
No matter what issues confront us, including pandemics and economic disruptions, we are lucky to live here and now. Indeed, if time travel was possible, I suspect few of us would choose to live in any other time or place. Consider life without electricity, air conditioning, or modern medicine and just imagine dentistry without Novocain. Yikes!
When the American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain, Thomas Jefferson wrote that “all men are created equal.” Ever since, our quest for equality for everyone has both inspired and challenged us. Fortunately, our founders established limited governments that are stable but flexible enough to adapt.
Like us, our Founders and forebearers were all too human and far from perfect. Like us, they were not saints, nor did they need to be. They have earned our adulation, but are not above our reproach for their shortcomings.
The danger we face judging previous generations by today’s standards is that future generations will judge us by their standards too. If this happens, we will fair no better than those who came before us.
Over time, we fought and won a bloody civil war, abolished slavery, and expanded suffrage. We amended the law to promote equal protection and civil rights. No other nation in world history compares as favorably and few would prefer citizenship elsewhere.
We are multifaceted and can cherish our common heritage as Americans, while simultaneously identifying with the things that make us different and distinct. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. Rather, it can and should be both.
Let’s renew our efforts to be polite, kind, and respectful to one another. Let’s do a better job of listening, communicating and working through the issues that threaten to divide us. After all, as friends and countrymen, we should be willing to walk an occasional mile in the other fellow’s shoes.
The Honorable J. Layne Smith is a Leon County Judge. Email your questions to askjudgesmith@gmail.com.
