Reflection and acceptance of Jan. 6 insurrection

The first thing I remember when thinking of Jan. 6, 2021 is feeling that none of what I was seeing could be real. It took a while to digest what happened: an attack on our democracy. Looking back, I remember very few of my classes acknowledged what had occurred. Such an event seemed outside the realm of what should be covered in biology, pre-calc, or Spanish. However, in history, we took the time to discuss how we felt about the insurrection and what this moment and history would mean for our country. Hearing how my classmates felt helped me to accept what had happened. Our country was, and still remains, divided and full of hate.

Now that a full year has passed since the Jan. 6 insurrection, many people’s emotions and opinions about the event have faded in their intensity. Though, a Christmas card my grandmother received included a prayer for our democracy. On Christmas day, just slightly before the anniversary, my family discussed this friend who keeps our democracy in her thoughts and prayers. Some family members found this idea ridiculous, why does our democracy need your prayers? Aren’t there other things and people that need them more? I did not feel strongly opposed to these questions until hearing a statement that my dad made: the insurrection was precisely an attack on our democracy, insurgents did not accept the result of our election, arguably the cornerstone of democracy. Though I now disagreed with the arguments that my family posed saying that our democracy was fine, I knew prayers were not the answer. Much more has to be done going forward into 2022 to address the events of Jan. 6 2021.