Forty months ago began the lockdowns that set in motion a grim trajectory of misery for Americans and the world. It was the long dark night of the soul, in the words of St. John of the Cross. It was a challenge to everyone and everything.
Do you really believe in freedom and human rights? If so, are you willing to speak and act on that belief? That was a great test.
The test occurred during the darkest times as our rights were under assault in ways that we never imagined possible. The demoralization of the population was assisted by the national media, which worked to shame anyone who had doubts about the government line and the excuses for the lockdowns. It took great courage in these days to speak out.
St. John’s book on the dark night is from 16th-century Spain, and its purpose is to describe the life cycle of the human spirit. He explains that when we are young, there is innocence and protection that comes from being under the care of parents. The presence of God is tactile and comforting but as we age, we encounter situations in which God’s presence is less apparent. The dark night of the soul occurs in most everyone’s life as a feeling of having been abandoned. In addition, the presence of evil blots out the heart’s imagination of good.
The idea here is that during this period, we reach deeply within to find resources to migrate out of the darkness. We emerge on the other side with greater maturity, stronger characters, and greater understanding of the task of living. We are better positioned to defeat evil in our lives and in the world.
In some ways, this describes what happened to many of us 40 months ago. The experts failed. Leadership failed. Media failed. Schools failed. Mainline religions too. Academia, medicine, and governments at all levels failed. We felt abandoned and lost as the courts were not there for us and the U.S. Constitution seemed to have become a dead letter.
Many did not survive, spiritually and physically. All of us who have emerged on the other side are wounded and scarred from the experience. It is incumbent on all of us to celebrate those who help lead us to the other side.
There were many points of light in this period but one of the biggest and brightest was Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. His voice came across like a comet in a dark sky. He spoke truth day after day, despite the ridicule, censorship, and cancellation. His leadership of the anti-lockdown movement emerged organically, a result of his command of the facts and his erudition.
His speech today marched through this history in great detail. Speaking without notes, he explained how the CIA maneuvered to innovate the “poor man’s nuclear weapon,” which is a bioweapon. That very branch of government is what took charge of the COVID response from March 13, 2020, and onward. The public health bureaucracies took all the blame but they were not in the role of making the rules.
It is clear that if the public is ever going to get the truth, it will have to come from outside agitation. And it must occur on all levels from every direction. That includes politics. Even if RFK Jr. had not declared for president, he would have already earned himself a big place in the history of our times. And yet by daring to challenge Biden, he has emerged as the most disruptive candidate in our lifetimes, even more than Trump in 2016. This is because he is running as a true Democrat in the model of his father and his uncle. His connection to the modern history of the party very well could resonate with many people in the party who might have noticed that many things have gone very wrong.
Each time this subject comes up, people say something like “I like him but he can never come close to winning.” I’m not certain that we know that. For sure, the party machine will oppose him at every turn but what happens when he wins the New Hampshire primary and others besides? At what point will the party have to recognize that the current front runner is not a viable candidate?
If the American system is not entirely and hopelessly broken, he might indeed stand a chance. And this is part of his appeal: RFK Jr. remains optimistic about the future of this country, the world, and freedom itself. I’ve noticed too that the energy of the movement at the grass roots is very intense. There is nothing artificial about it. His citizen movement is highly motivated and educated.
The number 40 carries great significance in the history of the Judeo-Christian tradition. The flood lasted 40 days and 40 nights. Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness before God called him to deliver the Israelites from slavery. The Israelites spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land. Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness before beginning his ministry.
Is the 40th month after lockdowns the beginning of the turning point? Pray that it is. The dark night of this nation’s soul needs to end. We cannot wait 40 years.
