Even This

We live in a country that is divided. And while this has always been the case, it seems especially so in 2021. Why? Because before the pandemic there were ways to avoid engaging with the division: simply refrain from talking about politics or race or whatever other issues divide us. But we no longer have that luxury, because now the presence or absence of a face mask declares–accurately or not–where we stand politically, where we stand regarding science, where we stand regarding the value of human life. Even breathing, an act that communicated nothing before the pandemic, except that we were alive, has become a point of division. Even breathing has been weaponized.

Read from left to right, Even This depicts this transformation of breath, from something non-contentious, to something fraught with divisiveness and polarity. In the fall of 2021 we live on the edge of the wave of sharp metal and glass, and it is difficult to see how things will get better. But there is hope, because even this current situation is redeemable by God. I do not see how. I do not see the way forward, but I do know that Even This is in his hands.