2017
November
21
Tuesday

Monitor Daily Podcast

November 21, 2017
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Zimbabwe is on the brink. But of what?

Hope for a fresh start? Yes. Democracy? Maybe.

On Tuesday, Robert Mugabe resigned after nearly four decades as president. His resignation could be seen as a nod toward the rule of law after years of lawless rule.

To be sure, Mr. Mugabe was pushed. His ZANU-PF party moved to impeach him on grounds of misconduct and failure to uphold the Constitution.

As much as Zimbabweans cheered Tuesday (and have ever since the military deposed Mugabe last week), his likely replacement doesn’t look much different.

The ruling ZANU-PF party is backing former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa for president. Mr. Mnangagwa has been around as long as Mugabe, and has a reputation as the muscle behind the despot. Not exactly a harbinger of democracy.

But if Zimbabwe is building a new foundation for the future, the fact that the ruling party has stuck to the constitutional rules so far could be seen as a vote for the integrity of the democratic process.

You may recall that Bob Marley sang “Zimbabwe” at Mugabe’s inauguration in 1980. Those understated lyrics have resonance again:

"No more internal power struggle

We come together to overcome the little trouble …"

Here are our five selected stories for today, including portraits of innovators, problem solvers, and people challenging outdated assumptions.


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Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

Markus Schreiber/AP
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for a meeting of her Christian Union bloc at the Reichstag building in Berlin Nov. 20. Ms. Merkel pledged to maintain stability after the Free Democratic Party pulled out of talks on forming a new government with her conservative bloc and the left-leaning Greens.

If Angela Merkel goes, then what? Her leadership struggles raise fears of instability. But her challenges might also establish more realistic expectations about the leadership role Germany plays in the European Union.

Mary Clare Jalonick/AP
Republican Rep. Will Hurd and Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke, both of Texas, posed in March for a photo at the Capitol in Washington after concluding a bipartisan road trip that the pair shared on social media.

Two men from opposite sides of the political aisle have formed a very public working relationship. Will Texas voters reward – or punish – their pragmatism?

Points of Progress

What's going right

Now, an inspiring story about how one principal challenged assumptions – and academic orthodoxy – to  turn around a failing school in a neighborhood plagued by gang violence. This Chicago school offers lessons for educators everywhere.

Difference-maker

Our next story is a portrait of a problem solver, a seventh-grader who’s already tackling adult-sized challenges with ingenuity, courage, and persistence.

Disney-Pixar/AP
Characters Hector, voiced by Gael García Bernal (r.), and Miguel, voiced by Anthony Gonzalez, appear in a scene from the animated film 'Coco.'

Hollywood and politicians have long played on negative cultural stereotypes. But the latest animated movie from Pixar took pains to paint Mexicans in a more honest light.


The Monitor's View

AP Photo
Participants march against sexual assault and harassment at a #MeToo March in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles on Nov. 12.

When he proclaimed the national holiday called Thanksgiving in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln did more than ask Americans to be grateful for God’s blessings during a time of civil strife. He also asked them to express “humble penitence” for their “disobedience.” The idea of confessing one’s failings and regretting them is no longer part of Thanksgiving. Yet given the current civil strife over so many public figures being accused of sexual wrongdoing, perhaps humility and repentance should be on the menu this holiday.

So far, almost all of the men in politics, media, sports, and Hollywood who have admitted to sexual harassment or assault did so only after a few brave women made allegations against them in public. The #MeToo movement has now helped lift a social stigma for many abused women while bringing to light past wrongs. Yet “to heal the wounds of the nation” (Lincoln’s words in his proclamation) will require more than remorse and apologies after being accused. It will require those who have abused women and girls (or men and boys) to come forth voluntarily and admit their acts.

Such truth-telling, especially if not done out of fear of being accused, will take as much courage as that shown by the accusers. Those confessing may face severe punishment. Yet to admit a sin, as well as regret it and accept whatever justice or repair is needed, is a step toward destroying its power over one’s self. It may also assist others in doing the same, much like the freedom felt among abused women who, after years of silence, have followed the examples of others who went public with their charges.

Lincoln saw penitence as a path to restore the nation “as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes.” Humility is a form of prayer. It is self-examination that does not change God or others but rather one’s own thinking. It does not come with an expectation of mercy or pardon but rather with a desire for reform and restoration.

The Civil War was a tragedy as much as the sexual harms being revealed today. Yet one lesson of that war should not be forgotten. In the middle of it, Lincoln sought to uplift and heal all sides by declaring a day of thanksgiving, not only with a call for gratitude but also a call for meek admission of wrongdoing.


A Christian Science Perspective

About this feature

Each weekday, the Monitor includes one clearly labeled religious article offering spiritual insight on contemporary issues, including the news. The publication – in its various forms – is produced for anyone who cares about the progress of the human endeavor around the world and seeks news reported with compassion, intelligence, and an essentially constructive lens. For many, that caring has religious roots. For many, it does not. The Monitor has always embraced both audiences. The Monitor is owned by a church – The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston – whose founder was concerned with both the state of the world and the quality of available news.

Thanksgiving is a specific time to be reminded of gratitude, but every moment is a great time to let gratitude into our lives. Acknowledging even the smallest evidence of love increases our awareness of God’s bountiful care reaching people right where they are. Today’s contributor experienced the power of gratitude at a time when her family’s financial needs were pressing. She speaks of gratitude as “a looking outward into the infinite resources of God’s goodness,” a practice that led her out of worry and illness to peace and healing. As Monitor founder Mary Baker Eddy puts it, “God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in turn, they give you daily supplies” (“Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896,” p. 307).


A message of love

Reuters
Workers wearing panda masks use a wireless device Nov. 20 to detect the location of Ying Xue, a panda that has received two years of 'survival training' at a protected area in Wolong, in China's Sichuan province, ahead of its release back into the wild. The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda has had mixed results with such reintroductions, according to Chinese media reports. The country first released a captive-bred panda into the wild in 2006; it lived for a year before being killed in clashes over food and territory. The most recent panda release, of a 2-year-old female, was in November 2015. The success of that reintroduction is reportedly unknown.
( The illustrations in today’s Monitor Daily are by Karen Norris. )

A look ahead

Thanks for joining us today. Come back tomorrow: We’re working on a story about creative solutions to a global problem: predicting earthquakes.

More issues

2017
November
21
Tuesday

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