Joe Biden sounds the alarm
This weekend, the Biden-Harris administration released one of its very last reports, entitled “National Resilience Strategy: A Vision for a More Resilient Nation.” Issued just a couple of days before Donald Trump’s second inauguration, the timing seems intentional. Although it details a call to action and does not even refer to Trump, the report’s release is no doubt intended to send a final message reminding us of the importance of being resilient, on both a nationwide and individual level.
The report defines resilience as “the ability to prepare for threats and hazards, adapt to changing conditions, and withstand and recover rapidly from adverse conditions and disruptions.” It means we must be ready to combat or handle anything, such as “climate change, emerging technologies, strategic competition, global pandemics, and the disproportionate effects of wealth inequality.”
To meet these challenges, the report identifies steps that address what it identifies as four pillars that bind Americans together: Governance, Social and Community, Economic, and Infrastructure. For example, one example of an action item under the first pillar is to “promote the importance of civil discourse with those who have different perspectives” and “[e]ncourage civic participation in activities like voting, volunteering, public meetings, and community engagement.”
As the report warns, our collective challenges are greater now than ever, and so “even stronger national resilience is needed.” While Web pages from the Biden White House are generally no longer accessible at their original online locations and should become accessible again once they have been archived, you can still access the National Resilience Strategy report by visiting this link.
Resilience is needed for the nation but also on an individual level. With Trump’s return to the White House, resilience is more essential than ever. If you read the National Resilience Strategy and consider the context, it becomes clear that Biden is encouraging us all to not take the easy path of defeatism but realize that we all can still make a difference, and we are not alone.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month