Allow me to be needlessly poetic, as I'm having trouble thinking clearly lately.

failed to grab the rudder of the . . . ship

I think what a lot of us easily lose sight of is that this country is one massive Ship of Theseus. Pieces, large and small, get swapped out constantly, often without our knowing it. The ship she knows is different than the ship you know. The ship you both know is so different than the ship I know. Yet each of us, being it's passengers, claim to know it so intimately. Because we do. That intimate knowledge creates a deep sense of ownership in some and a sense of imprisonment in others, both perspectives on a ship that arguably has infinite perspectives create a lot of confusion within ourselves as individuals and among us as a country.

To complicate things more, no one person really has any control over this massive ship. We only have control over very tiny pieces, pieces that are nebulous and in constant flux. The oceans are unpredictable. The winds are unpredictable. So what can you depend on? Your family. Your friends. Your neighbors.

Do you love your mother? If so, keep her close. She might have the roap you need in case you fall overboard.