Member-only story
Make America Whole Again
Can a diverse new political coalition and a catastrophic natural disaster help us reclaim the unity Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned?
Sometimes the universe laughs at us. Other times, in the words of famed psychologist Carl Jung, it winks.
Jung coined the term “synchronicity” in the 1950s to describe seemingly unrelated events that coincide in improbable ways, yet hold some significance in our lives. Seeing a number repeatedly, running into an old friend unexpectedly, hearing a song you were singing when you turn on the radio — these are all examples of what Jung would describe as “winks from the cosmos.” Today, as we honor the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. and inaugurate our 47th president, I can’t help but wonder if the universe is winking at us.
Many are grappling with the “painful irony” that some Americans will celebrate a civil rights icon on the same day that others will laud “a man who opposes racial progress.” At first glance, it’s easy to see why the timing of these two events might seem unrelated. Martin Luther King Jr. galvanized a movement to secure equality for black Americans who had been deprived of fundamental rights and liberties. By contrast, Donald Trump has been accused of bigotry and racism that has harmed the black community.
