"The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways," said Carter. "It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation."
The speech was one of the most significant of Carter's presidency, coming about two-thirds of the way into his term, which would end 16 months later with a defeat at the hands of Ronald Reagan. The speech described a flagging spirit in the country and called on Americans to sacrifice in an effort to stem the energy crisis and overcome our economic woes. Initial response was fairly positive, but soon thereafter political miscalculations and international issues started to take hold and the Carter presidency began to unravel, resulting in a humiliating defeat in 1980.
Then and ever since it has been tagged as his "malaise speech," although Carter never used the word in his address. In some respects it was an indictment of the American lifestyle, blaming consumption as a reason for the costly dependence on foreign oil. It was an unusual tone struck by the nation's leader; the president is usually expected to convey optimism and hope, delivering the message that all is well or at least that whatever ails us can be readily fixed.
Carter's speech came to mind as I have been thinking about what is going on in this country, trying to define a sense of unease, a fundamental discomfort, that I am feeling these days. Those words--unease, discomfort, a lack of well-being--are the very definition of "malaise." Maybe that is what I am feeling. If so, is it a justifiable response to the issues facing our American lives?
Here are some of the things that are informing my unease:



4. Justice and Fairness. It has been a tough year for justice in the streets of America. The debacle in Ferguson, Missouri, highlighted problems with policing, but even more it pointed to the sorry state of racism in our country. Ferguson, along with similar cases in other cities, demonstrated how fragile black/white relationships really are, despite the progress made over the past few decades. Other issues reinforce that point. Economic disparities, especially unemployment, fall disproportionately on African Americans. Race and economic class have more to do with prison incarceration and capital punishment than do guilt or innocence. And, despite the seriousness of the conflicts, there seemed to be an absence of leadership around these issues. The source of my malaise? Although I may have more hope here than other issues, I still found it deeply disturbing to see a return to riots and looting as a way of protesting inequities. By the same token, some police actions were reminiscent of the racial conflicts of the American South in the 1960's. I thought we were past that.

I considered other candidates for my malaise list, but some of them give reason for hope, so they don't qualify. Our healthcare system is a mess, but millions of people now have insurance for the first time and health care is on the national agenda, unless it gets derailed by money and politics.
I was tempted to grumble about the ineffectiveness of the church in the midst of these crises of confidence, hanging as many do on mindless Biblical literalism. But more and more we are seeing people of faith discovering fresh understandings within the texts, opening pathways to social justice. We will miss Marcus Borg, who died this month, but left a legacy of scholarship informing faith. And Pope Francis? Wow! I didn't think I'd see the day when I would point to the Catholic pope, especially in this time of ecclesiastical scandal, as a reason for having hope for the Christian Church.
I came of age in the 1960's, not an era of goodwill and harmony to be sure. People died in race riots across the country. An unpopular war in Vietnam put generations in conflict, many thousands perished in the jungles of southeast Asia, and college students emptied the classrooms and protested in the streets. Women defined their status as second class citizens and social, corporate, and family institutions conformed as women's roles evolved. Communitarian experiments vied with traditional family structures to reshape the way we live in relationship to one another.
It was a divisive time, but it was not a time without hope. To the contrary, I felt confident about the future and empowered with friends and colleagues to be agents of change. And we did make a difference. The country changed, especially on human rights issues, and ordinary people made that happen.
I want to believe that is still possible, but I'm not sure it is. This is probably the most pessimistic piece I have ever written and that saddens me.
There is one ray of light, however, and it is a bright and shining one. It is called Ashley and Ayla. They call me Papa. It is their world that we are creating. How can we give up on it?
![]() |
Begone, malaise. Begone. |
Grant, Harry Chapin wrote in a song
ReplyDelete"Remember when the music
Was the best of what we dreamed of for our children's time
As we sang we worked, we knew time was just a line
Gift we saved, a gift the future gave
All the times I've listened, and all the times I've heard
All the melodies I'm missing, and all the magic words
And all those potent voices, and the choices we had then
How I'd love to find we had that kind of choice again"
I couldn't help but think of the song as you shared your feelings. You can listen to the entire song on this link. Although there is a malaise in the country, we can only hope that this brief moment in time will give way to a new stronger and vibrant generation willing to do the heavy lifting and inspired by the dreams of what a nation and world can be.
In any event enjoy the music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viupdqcXvw0
YES, this MAY appear to be the most pessimistic piece you have authored but it ranks among the most powerful and one that deserves broader readership than your blog. You continue to utterly amaze me with your gift to eloquently and profoundly articulate the "NOW" of life---tragic, profane, humorous or "insightfully" common place. When I was privileged to serve with you as a colleague (and sometimes, confidante) your effort to level the playing field re the "prophetic" label wed to Church presidency called everyone to engage HIS/HER prophetic' responsibility to discern inequities beyond the walls of one's living room and ecclesiastical doors AND to courageously speak truth to power and act on it. This mandate was a breath of fresh air in the Church helping many to disengage prophecy from the bonds of "fore-telling" and to participate in its primary function of "forth-telling." (I confess pessimism persuades me the aforementioned breeze has quieted in recent years as increased emphasis on the unpacking and continual re-unpacking of canonized text and leadership statements (coupled with on-going interviews re-interpreting the same) place the path of the disciple, once again, on a pathway where revelatory insight is centralized). Sorry, Grant, didn't mean to bite down on a soar tooth. What I am clumsily saying, (and this is not intended as an indictment on present Church leadership) is your "prophetic" voice is still loud, clear, important, and NEEDED! Keep posting. Send in such blogs as this one as newspaper editorial, whatever!!! Oh, and by the way if your head is swelling, go out and buy a new hat.
ReplyDeleteYou speak the truth Grant and how we need that! Thank you so much! Don Compier
ReplyDeleteA Song On the End of the World
ReplyDeleteOn the day the world ends
A bee circles a clover,
A fisherman mends a glimmering net.
Happy porpoises jump in the sea,
By the rainspout young sparrows are playing
And the snake is gold-skinned as it should always be.
On the day the world ends
Women walk through the fields under their umbrellas,
A drunkard grows sleepy at the edge of a lawn,
Vegetable peddlers shout in the street
And a yellow-sailed boat comes nearer the island,
The voice of a violin lasts in the air
And leads into a starry night.
And those who expected lightning and thunder
Are disappointed.
And those who expected signs and archangels’ trumps
Do not believe it is happening now.
As long as the sun and the moon are above,
As long as the bumblebee visits a rose,
As long as rosy infants are born
No one believes it is happening now.
Only a white-haired old man, who would be a prophet
Yet is not a prophet...
Repeats...
No other end of the world will there be,
No other end of the world will there be.
Czeslaw Milosz
Grant, your eyes still see things as they are only this time you don't see what you can do. No wonder you are uneasy.
Jim's tamales. Royals' miracles. Grandkids' love. Soothing balms but underneath it all is honest angst.
Be strengthened by the support of kindred spirits.
Wonderful piece by Czeslaw Milosz, Paul. Thanks so much for sharing it, along with your personal comment. The support of kindred spirits is indeed a blessing. Thanks for being one.
ReplyDeleteJerry, the Chapin song is wonderful. Thanks for directing my attention to it. Tis indeed a balm. Your words of hope are thoughtful and encouraging. I agree.
ReplyDelete