More hope and less politics

May 17, 2023

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wrote a column in this paper bringing attention to a different public health problem sweeping the nation. While maybe not as physically deadly, the long-term impacts on the health of our communities were and are still as dire. I was discussing the very real pandemic of hate.

The data is clear. While COVID-19 was a killer, the government's heavy-handed response was just as deadly. Deaths of despair via suicide and other destructive behavior have skyrocketed. Now, we're heading into a special session to address the persistent drug-use problem and subsequent lawlessness. The fact is that it doesn't matter how many bills you pass or photo-ops you have if the people you serve aren't well.

I recently read an article that said just 12% of people polled were happy. What makes people feel that emotion? The article indicated that faith was a significant factor. As a Christian, that resonates with me, but more broadly the sense of belonging to a community of shared values accomplishes the same goal. Belonging creates hope for the future beyond the brokenness of our immediate circumstances.

Hope is an interesting state of mind. I can climb on my tractor and hope it starts, or I can hope it doesn't rain on the hay we are trying to dry. However, we are being culturally programmed toward hopelessness. I believe we've all had moments when we felt hopeless, but the kind of hopelessness that I'm referring to is chronic behavioral hopelessness. The result is drug addiction, homelessness, suicide and mass killings. A little too dark? Well, just watch the news. It is time to address the root causes.

Over the past few years, we've seen a sharp increase in vitriolic, uncivil and downright shameful discourse that's fracturing our communities. The result, as I've said in other columns, has been an unhealthy obsession with "doomsdayism" that's leading to significant behavioral-health problems exacerbated by forced social isolation of COVID-19 lockdowns.

Toward the end of the 2023 legislative session, the hard truths that I'm speaking of touched my family. A beloved family member was suffering in silence and passed away. A brilliant, accomplished and loving woman died alone from alcoholism. She was like a daughter to me and is gone far too soon. It's tough to reconcile that my own family couldn't have been helped even by an elected official who has championed laws to address these kinds of issues.

I think therein lies a problem. Too many people wrongly expect that the Legislature will solve all of the problems that social media, news and others with a bully-pulpit are screaming about. The issue of climate change is fraught with this. A generation has been told that our world will soon end in catastrophe if something isn't done. We'd see mass extinctions if we don't drastically alter our lives, all while elites of our society travel in private jets to discuss "solutions" paid for by your tax dollars.

My job as your state senator should be to reflect your values, concerns and frustrations with our system and fight for common-sense solutions. Most of us are too busy working and worrying about daily life to get sucked into this age-old game of partisan politics. Most people just want the government to work for them when they need it. People needed government during the pandemic, but it failed them.

We must get beyond the superficiality of politics that divides us and start seeing the very real impact of our actions on the lives of those we serve. For all the rhetoric and money we spend in Olympia, what will change the course of our communities is empathy, compassion and understanding, not words on paper. We must work together to address the epidemic of despair that's gripping our nation and driving vulnerable people to a point of no return. I can't make a law to make people happy, but I can use my position and passion to communicate simple truths that are important for people to hear.

Having an impact is hard, but we must start somewhere. We must do something, or we'll have nothing. To that end, I've engaged deeply with our Democratic lieutenant governor to bridge the divide with meaningful and challenging forums to bring back civility to our political discourse. We need to give a lot less credence to that which divides and then maybe can start to heal the collective hopelessness.

Washington Recovery Help Line: 1-866-789-1511

Skagit County Crisis Help Line: 1-800-584-3578

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

Mental Health Emergency: 988

More resources: skagitcounty.net/Departments/HumanServices/mh.