At this moment, the future of our country looks bleak. It is difficult to be hopeful in this time of great unrest. Different information is coming at us from every side, our leaders are being removed from social media platforms (whether I agree with this or not is a conversation for another time), it takes a ridiculous amount of time for anyone to agree on anything and our national buildings are being ransacked by rioters. It’s also important to mention that thousands of people are dying daily as the coronavirus continues to rage across the country.
Among all of these things, the insurrection at the Capitol has not left my mind.
As everyone in this country knows by now, a group of self-proclaimed patriots stormed the Capitol Building on Jan. 6. Initially they were there to protest the certification of Electoral College votes that would confirm a Biden presidency.
Things quickly escalated and got out of hand as the group forced their way through multiple levels of security to make their way into the building. Extensive damage was caused by civilians in one of the most secure buildings in the entire country.
Although I think the answer is quite obvious, there is debate over who was truly behind the insurrection. Some say that Trump and his allies assisted the rioters as they made their way into the building. Some place blame on groups like Antifa and Black Lives Matter.
From what I have observed, most people have also labeled the news media as untrustworthy. This makes all of the information we’re seeing seem unreliable, which leaves people to make their own assumptions on who they think orchestrated the insurrection.
While it may seem difficult to decide who the guilty party is here, I know that there is one thing that everyone in this tumultuous country can agree on. In this era of unprecedented division, each and every person, regardless of their position, will admit that we need change.
This event should not have happened. As someone who was in the Capitol just under a year ago, I can say with confidence that it is impossible to get into that building without the appropriate clearance and permission. There was obviously a larger power at work here. Whether it was Trump and his cohorts or some left-wing group disguised as conservatives, it should have been impossible for the events of Jan. 6 to take place.
We should all desire discipline in this situation, but due to all of the misinformation that is spread in our nation, I’m not sure if we’ll ever be able to ascertain who the true culprit was. The only thing we can do is admit that there were many missteps that led this moment, and that the overall system needs reform.
I am not qualified to say what exactly the change in our country should be, although I do have ideas. Overall, our country needs to unite over the hope for change and work together to move forward.