What does “The Next Reality” even mean? During the decades-long three-and-a-half year reign of Dear Leader (no, we are not giving his name editorial space), more than eighty environmental regulations have been rolled back. Smoke still fills the air here at Hip Pocket Press from unprecedented fire events, while the melt of the Greenland ice cap passes the point of no return, and the American South is bailing out from the devastation of this years’ hurricanes. Evacuation while self-distancing: would anyone like a side of murder hornets with that?
Constitutional crises are so pervasive, as a nation we are numb to the dismantling of the Intelligence and Justice Departments. The United States Postal Service, one of our beloved institutions, is under attack.
“His unreliability had those who worked with him pulling out their hair…”
Since May 25, millions have been in the streets, taking a knee or boycotting, speaking up and speaking out, protesting for racial justice. And yet the videos still come fast and furious on Twitter. There are unidentified police on our streets and in our cities. I think Julia Louis-Dreyfus said it best at the Democratic National Convention: “When [he who shall not be named] mentioned American carnage at the Inauguration, I didn’t think it was a campaign promise.” Economic insecurity, a health care system hobbled, a Great Depression for the New Millennium complete with armed militia in boogaloo garb.
“He procrastinated wildly when asked to make difficult decisions and would often end up relying on gut feeling, leaving even those even close allies in the dark about his plans.”
The firefighters in California are exhausted, as are health care workers in every state and city of the union. Teachers and administrators nationwide are balancing pandemic outbreaks and online learning. Restaurants that renovated to move service outdoors are contending with the consequences of climate change. And, let’s face it, seeing distant friends and family was great for a while, but now we’re all Zoom-ed out.
“This meant that rather than carrying out the duties of state, they spent most of their time in fighting and backstabbing each other in an attempt to either win his approval or avoid his attention altogether, depending on what mood he was in that day.”
Before this regime, America was (maybe) complacent. We drank the Kool Aid about the “Shining City on the Hill,” even if we knew in our hearts it was wishful and wistful. The system is too great a juggernaut to reform, they said. It would take too much disruption, too much time, too much money. We have never been shown in such stark relief how our failure to protect some of our citizens resulted in failing all of our citizens. Our lives are disrupted, milestones stolen from families, trillions of tax dollars bailing out the Biggest Businesses. What’s next? Where do we go from here?
“His government was constantly in chaos, with officials having no idea what he wanted them to do, and nobody entirely clear of who was actually in charge of what.”
With all of that turmoil, you would think Americans would be down. But the people will not be silenced. The voices that are rising up are united and surprisingly hopeful. We, as a nation, have never been here before. And we all know it, but it bears repeating: the future is a direct result of the steps we take today. No justice, no peace.
“The overwhelming majority of the people marching wasn’t [sic] breaking windows, they were trying to break barriers.” — Reverend Al Sharpton
For this issue, we sought work that illuminates the amazing era of change we are entering. Crisis begets clarity, facts are defined, nostalgia is not a tool. We are entering an era where the rest of the world is lending a hand because the global community doesn’t want to see the American experiment fail, where the military who swore an oath to the Constitution will honor that oath. Our authors responded. There are essays that address the dis-ingenuousness of the political divide, about narrowing down an issue on which to focus volunteerism, about approaching identity with dignity. There are poems about life, humanity, exploring ancestry, and how hope shines in the darkest corners. For the first time, we have showcased a featured poet.
How will you honor the next generation? What do you want reality to look like and how are you going to make it so? How have you changed in 2020?
We at Sisyphus hope that, if you are reading this from the USA, that at least one of those questions is answered with: “I will return the Census immediately, support the USPS, and VOTE.” (Yes, we mean for you to shout it). Think about the dreams you want to achieve. Don’t forget to say their names. We all rise together and the next reality is whatever we commit it to be, individually and collectively.
The future is a direct result of the steps we take today.
By the way, those pull quotes aren’t about who you might have imagined. They are from HUMANS: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up by UK author Tom Phillips. They are about the Hitler regime. “It’s pretty safe to say, as a species, we haven’t exactly grown wiser with age.” (Goodreads review)
re·al·i·ty /rēˈalədē/ noun: the world or the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them.
It was worth repeating.
Thanks for rolling the stone up the hill with us in 137 countries. We appreciate you.
“What’s the difference between a bookkeeper in the garment district and a Supreme Court justice? One generation.” – Hon. Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020)
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