Unity
For the first time in what seems like forever, our nation showed a level of quiet unity in the aftermath of the tragic incident involving Damar Hamlin.
At a time when our nation seems to find reasons to argue, disagree, and even fight with each other, that night and the days following have been different. The GOP itself is a mess right now inside the House of Representatives. We barely noticed that a former Pope passed away. An historic figure in the entertainment industry, Barbara Walters, passed with hardly a blink. Arguably, the passing of Pele had us pause for a moment as a nation.
But, honestly, I haven’t seen anything like I saw that night in Cincinnati. The stadium stopped. Announcers, fans, players, coaches. Everyone stopped. People prayed openly. Players knelt. Coaches knelt. Men hugged. The nation held it’s breath while some courageous medical professionals fought to keep that young man from dying.
The kneeling and the praying weren’t protested, or in protest. The men showing emotion and affection for each other wasn’t about sexuality or sexual orientation. The silence wasn’t organized or forced. All of these were done out of respect and hope.
No one questioned what was going on. It wasn’t controversial. It wasn’t ridiculed or looked at in a negative light. No one criticized anyone else’s choices. They all joined together, united in hope and respect, doing whatever they thought was appropriate to help Damar Hamlin and the medical team working to save him.
And it hasn’t happened in the days since…at least not from what I have seen. There is discussion, now, about what caused the medical emergency. The vaccine? The hit? A medical anomaly? There is a little bit of early blaming and questions about who is responsible. Is it the NFL? The Buffalo Bills medical staff? Is it football in general?
None of that matters, though, to Damar and his family. At least not that night and probably not today. What matters is that this was a small hint that the United States of not that long ago still exists. The one where people respect each other’s choices instead of criticizing them. The one where prayer is a personal choice that can be openly displayed in public. The one where kneeling on a playing field doesn’t cause instant rage. The America that showed itself that night in Cincinnati is still out there. It still exists.
Hopefully, that United States starts to show itself more often and not just in moments of fear and tragedy. Hopefully, we can show that our America still exists in Unity.