Writer Slavoj Zizek described “the desert of the real” as the place where there are no illusions, no alibis, and no more comforting emotions. For all Americans – but especially for those of us who gave our hearts and our time to getting Barack Obama elected – it is time to move from the warmth of election night jubilation and step into the desert of the real.
In the desert of the real, we must end a pointless war in Iraq while winning a just war in Afghanistan.
In the desert of the real, we must take the lead in repairing a global economic meltdown that is the direct result of America’s irresponsibility.
In the desert of the real, we must protect, defend, and repair a Constitution that has been treated as “just a piece of paper” for far too long.
In the desert of the real, there are still far too many Americans who need our best efforts to help them gain the basic human rights that most of us take for granted.
To those who might accuse me of being a wet blanket, to those who just want to kick back and enjoy the glow for a little while, I can only say this: there is no time.
There is hard work ahead, and some of it is dirty work, and some of it is the work of generations that many of us will not live to see complete. But it is work that needs doing, work that we should have been doing all along.
It is cold in the desert of the real; the light is bleak and hurts the eyes. But it is where we have to go, because on the other side of that desert is our shared American future. So let’s go, everyone. Wake up, get a shower, and roll up your sleeves.
Welcome to the desert of the real.
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