It’s a pretty emotional day. My timelines are flooded with Back To School photos and I can feel the tension my friends are battling knowing they are sending their children to school without the benefit of a vaccine because they aren’t ready yet for those under 12. Meanwhile, I see the hopeful eyes of my internet babies as they step up to the frontlines of the world we adults have built for them.

A world where they see us arguing over what we must do to protect human lives. They see us teaching them to not trust medical science. They see us willing to risk their health and wellness by not requiring adequate safety measures be in place when we send them to school. They see their friends headed to the children’s hospitals that are reaching capacity.

I’m dreading the look I know is coming when the hope begins to dim in their eyes.

Another earthquake has broken the back of Haiti leaving a wake of death, destruction and despair. Afghanistan is in turmoil as it’s people live in daily fear for their lives now that the government has be overtaken by the Taliban. Closer to home we see businesses failing, mental illness is on the rise and people seem to be pulling further and further away from one another.

Our children are seeing this as well.

What will they think of our actions?

What will they think of our inactions?

What will I tell my niece when she looks me in the eye and asks why so many people are dead set on making rules about what she can and cannot do with her own body?

What will I tell my nephew when he asks me why someone insists on not getting a vaccine or wearing a mask around any child under the age of 12 when those children do not have the ability to obtain a vaccine at present?

I know I have to lead with the truth. There are people who care more about what they want that what is good for the larger community. We call that self-interested.

I know I have to encourage them to remain hopeful because not everyone behaves in that way. We still need to seek out those who are of a community mindset. We still have to build. There’s a lot of heaviness today and I know I have to protect my energy. We cannot lose hope. We have work to do.

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Marta is an award winning filmmaker, writer and producer committed to sharing the rich and complex stories of America’s Heartland region.  Marta wears several hats as Chief Creative-in-Charge of MartaGwyn Productions, LLC as well as the Co-Founder and Senior Grant Writer of Youngblood and Associates, LLC and Chief Operations Officer of Marta Collier Educational Systems and Services, LLC.

Marta is also the founder and editor-in-chief of TheWRITEaddiction.  An online community of writers that publish creative and inspirational works daily at www.TheWriteAddiction.com.

Marta is an alumna of The Ohio State University and Tougaloo College with degrees in Sociology and English-Journalism and resides in Little Rock, Arkansas, with her husband and unconventional college sweetheart of 10 years, Terrance Youngblood.