Happy New Year, South Dakota. We have moved past the endurance race that was 2020, though we have by no means left the anxieties that defined it behind. Still, we can be proud of ourselves. That was one difficult year.
We must also hang our heads a bit — in grief, in disappointment, in weariness. We lost much in 2020. We lost loved ones. Sometimes it felt as if we had lost our way.
In the Moment is, among other things, SDPB’s home for longer conversations. We believe listening to one another is a bold and meaningful act. We believe asking difficult questions is a sign of respect. But in 2020, listening to so much frustration offered challenges of its own. South Dakotans joined us to talk about illness and death, racism and anger, hopelessness and anguish. We also talked about connection and service and compassion, of course. It was heavy all the same.
If those are the conversations we have on the air (with the whole state/world listening) I can only imagine what kinds of conversations you are having at home, at work, at school. You have borne witness to each other’s pain. If you’re feeling exhausted, I don’t blame you. It’s a lot to carry.
Welcome to 2021, when we know enough to realize we don’t know what this year might bring. We only know that we will be tested once again. We know we will also experience moments of triumph and moments of joy. We will drink those moments in like rain after a long drought.
And, as always, In the Moment remains devoted to the power of conversation, the power of spending time with one another. We believe the questions are often more important than the answers. That might mean challenging one another, yes, but it also means forgiving one another.
We’ve work to do in the days ahead. It’s best if we do that work together.
