West Hartford resident Amanda Aronson expresses optimism for the future of the country’s democracy.

By Amanda Aronson

“Take time to fix the flag.” This is what went through my mind nearly every morning this summer, as I went outside to sit and drink my morning coffee.

Most days, the flag was just bunched up a bit, or the wind had flipped it over the pole one too many times. Other days, an unexpected overnight storm had soaked and twisted it. “I should probably bring this in each night like my dad used to,” I would think, questioning my knowledge of flag etiquette.

And I would stand up and fix it – before I took my first sip. First things first, I was taught.

Many of my neighbors have flags out throughout the warmest parts of the year. We all vote differently. We all have different schedules. We all have different lives – but this summer, I noticed that by the end of each day, we had all fixed our flags. When evening came and we emerged to talk and watch the children play, our flags became our backdrop, hanging free and softened by the light. It was peaceful.

Photo credit: Amanda Aronson

For the last few months, I have watched individuals throughout our country take time, in their own ways, to help “fix the flag.” I’ve seen some leaders put country over party and step aside from roles they held dear. I’ve seen others realize that right now, party might have to wait, as they spoke out against their party’s candidate and endorsed another.

Every day, people throughout our country are putting their courage on display to help. Some are admitting that they might not have had evidence for a claim they made, nor strong enough reasons to keep pushing a false story. They are trusting that there is always time to do the right thing, and when you ask for forgiveness sincerely, often it is given – or at least appreciated before people move on.

We are seeing what happens when we all come to the realization at the same time that things have gone too far, and that we can, in our own small ways, be part of a solution. We are all stopping to “fix the flag,” to ensure we remain a democracy.

There is also a delicate trust at play, an unspoken understanding, that after we do our part as the people on deck to preserve democracy, that we will find a way to sort ourselves differently moving forward. In general, there is a benefit to sorting people humanely. It helps create the communities and support systems we need to live and move work forward – but perhaps we can do more to sort by the problems we want to solve and the skills we have to contribute and less by party. Putting all our efforts into the “party” structure is not proving effective in our changing world.

We will figure it out.

For now, I am encouraged. I’m grateful to the people who are doing their part to fix the flag. It will be worth it for all of us. And I trust that in a big, messy, frustrating, slow, clunky way, we will find a way to write the next chapter of our collective story together.

Amanda Aronson is a West Hartford resident and Founder & President of StoryB, LLC.

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