Hundreds of thousands descended upon Chelsea for the 4th of July holiday weekend, enjoying music, food and fireworks. The celebration proved remarkably peaceful, with virtually no arrests, minimal violence and few disruptions. It was a thoroughly American occasion, with most residents making the most of Monday’s holiday.
Monday brought warm conditions from sunrise onward, with heat that became increasingly apparent as the day progressed. This first week of July finds the community largely absent—either in body or in spirit. We inhabit the dead of summer 2010, a time when everything lies both ahead and behind us simultaneously. Some head toward beaches; others travel in opposite directions. Yet all of us, in some form, have departed.
As summer’s initial intense heat wave settles in, many grapple with pressing national concerns. Can economic recovery materialize? Will job creation resume under the American economic system? The Gulf Coast faces potential permanent damage from history’s worst oil spill. Two wars continue in Iraq and Afghanistan—can they be won, or have they already been lost? Leadership appears absent precisely when the nation needs it most. Will necessity spark new leaders? Can Americans embrace sacrifice, curbing oil consumption and the debt it creates? Will any Congress or leader emerge willing to confront these new global realities boldly? Will anyone speak candidly about our current economic model’s fundamental unsustainability? Does any genuine willingness to sacrifice exist within American society? The answer remains elusive.
No courage emerges during this dead of summer 2010. Rather than committing to meaningful change, the nation seems content to continue its present course until bankruptcy forces a reckoning. For now, everyone remains away—physically absent or mentally elsewhere. Regardless of location or circumstance, all of us have gone.