Pandora’s Box Also Contains Hope

Over the past eight years, I have monitored the steady progress of a carefully planned and executed political movement determined to destroy our democratic norms and the rule of law. I have not turned away. 

Instead, I focused on being highly informed about the actions of all the players involved. I have not allowed myself to adopt an attitude of denial or wishful thinking. I am not an ostrich with my head in the sand about all that has unfolded.

Millions of us knew if Trump regained control of our government, we would immediately be thrust into a Constitutional crisis. If we allowed the price of eggs, the war in Gaza, and hatred of immigrants and our LGBTQ+ siblings to close our eyes to the big picture, we would all lose!

Now, here we are, together in the middle of a once-avoidable mess. If only we would have learned from opening the box of destruction the first time around. 

In Greek mythology, Pandora’s Box is filled with evil. Zeus gave it to Pandora, the first woman on Earth, and told her not to open it. Pandora opened the box and released evil into the world. 

Side note: Why do you suppose women are always blamed for creating messes–Eve, Pandora, Hillary Clinton? Pandora’s story reminds us of what happens when we open a box that we are told not to open.

We’ve been slowly opening this box as a country for almost fifty years. It began with Ronald Reagan and gained momentum through the proliferation of lies, conspiracy theories, distractions, and false equivalencies spread through truth-optional outlets.

The people in charge of these outlets (I will not call them media) are responsible for the brain-washing and heart-washing of millions who do not care to fact-check or entertain a different narrative than the ones created in the echo chambers that support their biases and fears. These outlets intentionally create narratives, and millions accept the unacceptable, ignore the unimaginable, and swear a dying allegiance to a “cult of personality.” 

Through my studies for a master’s degree in leadership and decades of on-the-job experience, I have learned that one key responsibility of leaders is to represent themselves honorably to the world. Sadly, the Trump administration does not honorably represent me or us honorably to the world.

I cannot stand the thought of the world thinking I agree with Trump or his sycophants or that I supported their hostile takeover of our country. I am not an “Ugly American.”

Those who continue to support the autocratic desires of a want-to-be-king are cowardly traitors to our Constitution and the citizens of the United States. This happens when we allow dark money to buy influence in our government, when we enable dark media, and when we ignore the warning signs and open the box we’ve been warned not to open.

Trump and the current Republican Party told us not to open this Pandora’s Box of sadness, gluttony, greed, envy, sloth, and death by telling us precisely what they would do with Project 2025. Brave Republicans and Democrats alike also told us not to open this box. 

But we ignored them or were apathetic to there being a box of evil in the first place, so we didn’t cast a vote at all. Well, we’re here now.

But our power is in remembering that when Pandora finally closed the box, she noticed hope remained inside. We must now find hope in the box we have opened. 

Hope is optimism and resilience to overcome these challenges and can temper the effects of evil. We can use the positive energy of hope to believe change can and will occur. We can use hope to remain proactive in our lives and join one another in closing this box once and for all.