I lived in Green Bay many years ago. I had rented half of a duplex and a guy named Rob lived in the other half. When I met Rob, I noticed he had some mental issues. He seemed smart enough, but he was forgetful and had a hard time reasoning through things. His right eye drooped so it was nearly shut and it constantly leaked tears.
Rob told me his story a few days after he met.
Rob was in his late 20’s and had been a successful electrical engineer with a wife and a daughter. Then he started having severe headaches and then the doctors found the brain tumor.
The surgery that removed the tumor to save his life also required the removal of part of his brain. That’s what caused his cognitive difficulties.
During the surgery, the doctors accidentally blinded him in his left eye (the one with the functioning eyelid) and destroyed his ability to open his right eye. It also messed up his tear duct which caused the non-stop eye watering from his sagging eye. To blurrily see though his constantly-tearing “good” eye, Rob had to use his hand to manually lift his droopy eyelid.
Rob’s marriage ultimately failed, and he ended up living on his own in the other half of the duplex. His insurance settlement ensured that he’d never have to work again, which was a good thing because he never could work again. His daughter was allowed to visit, but always with a chaperone because Rob didn’t have the mental capacity to care for her unsupervised.
We sat quietly after he told his tale. What could I have possibly said? But Rob hadn’t finished. He told me that the brain damage, blindness, losing his job and family wasn’t the worst thing that happened to him. No, the worst thing was that he remembered how he used to be.
He remembered having a family, being fully sighted and a brilliant engineer. While he would never again be the smartest guy in the room, he vividly remembered the times when he had been. He remembered how sharp his mind was and knew that it would never, ever, be that way again. He remembered what used to be and could still imagine a future that might have been.
I understand how Rob felt. Because I feel the same way.
In the months since Joe Biden took office, we’ve lost our energy independence and our border security. We’re back fighting wars we shouldn’t be fighting, and policies proven to be good ideas have been discarded simply because they were someone else’s ideas. Instead of treating those with obvious mental health issues, we’re told to believe that there are an infinite number of genders and that boys who think they’re girls are acting normally.
Whenever I see our “president” mumble through reading someone else’s words, I remember a time when our President that was truly leading this nation. I remember when we had a President that was dedicated to Making America Great and not dedicated to weakening our position on the global stage.
When I see the destruction caused by BLM/ANTIFA over the past year, destruction that’s still happening, I’m reminded of a time when Americans were banding together to build this country instead of collectively working to destroy it. I remember when our police officers were respected and supported. And now they’re vilified.
I remember when the media used to ferret out injustices. Now, they’re just a tool for disseminating misinformation and perpetuating ignorance. I remember a time, it seems like forever ago, when Americans thought for themselves instead of blindly believing whatever their phones tell them to believe.
I understand exactly how Rob felt because I too remember how things used to be, I see what we’ve become, and I can still imagine a future that might have been.
