From where I’m standing, the world is looking a little bleak. Among other things, I have what psychologists would call an Adjustment Disorder in reaction to the Bush Presidency. That is to say that I have a mild form of politically induced mental illness (anxiety and depression) due to the coup that lead Bush to have a room in the White House and which get exacerbated almost every time I hear Bush’s plans in the news. First it was simply that he wanted to rape and pillage the natural environment, toss out the separation of church and state and reverse welfare policies as we know it to take from the middle and working classes and give to the wealthy, leaving the poor (mostly women and children) out to starve. This, I thought, was more than I could bear. But this was only the beginning. Now, G.W. is hell bent to bomb Iraq and has our troops on the verge of an unjust war that will likely increase terrorism, lead to rampant destruction of the environment and cost taxpayers a fortune. I can barely stand to listen to the news anymore because every time I hear what Bush wants to do or is doing, domestically and internationally, I get depressed. Even more depressing is the fact that I see and hear so many Americans blindly supporting Bush in his efforts. To say something critical of the Bush administration is to be “unpatriotic.” I used to be very active politically, by sending letters and e-mails, making phone calls to officials and protesting those things the government was doing or proposing that I disagreed with and now I just want to pull a blanket over my head and hide until this global insanity is over. I don’t remember feeling so powerless to make a difference, nor do I remember feeling so alone in my understanding of the world.
While standard medicine can do nothing to help my sense of despair, Barbara Kingsolver’s latest collection of essays entitled “Small Wonder,” has helped to restore my shattered hope. Reading this book helped me break through the sense of isolation I have been feeling by reminding me that there are other people out there who see and understand the world the way that I do. It also helped dissolve my sense of powerlessness by providing examples of how small everyday acts can make a difference in the world.
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