How can we make it through these times

https://penobscotmarinemuseum.org/PMM-Reader/ship-in-heavy-storm/by James E. Buttersworth

Last night I woke up with an disturbing dream. I saw a large old sailing ship in a terrible storm, but there was a definite sense of hope that the ship would make it to safety if everyone did all they could and prayed to God for help. Then I clearly saw that there were some people who were just sitting there on the deck (remember this is dream). Instead of helping, these people are grumbling, saying that they would only follow the orders of their past captain. Others were bemoaning that they are going to sink without the "real" captain at the helm and that their present captain would send them to their doom. I kept urging them to get up and help, for they didn't seem to realize that their inaction would insure that all would drown; but they wouldn't listen to, or even look at me. I woke up with a deep sense of worry for them.

In trying to understand this dream, I've been thinking about the old metaphor where our government is called "The Ship of State". The "captain" is the President, "officers" are government leaders, and the "crew" is us, the people of the United States. We are in the midst of a terrible storm. Waves of pandemic, lost jobs, closed schools, economic crisis, and despairing people threaten "to sink our ship", or cause the collapse of our government. 

Our nation has "weathered" many "storms" before, such as The Great Depression, Economic Downturns, other pandemics, and several wars. I truly believe that if we unite with faith in God (all faiths believe in God), and try our best, then we can succeed. This willingness to pull together in tough times; to use our "yankee ingenuity" or our ability to tackle and solve problems in new ways, and our basic goodness or willingness to help others in need, has enabled the United States to come through and be even stronger after our "storms". This is not a time to poke holes in our ship, or sit glumly waiting for "the end". This is a time to put on our masks and muster the hope and drive we are known for, and together, unite to save our "ship".