Watching the dismantling of much of what I have understood the United States to be and to stand for has left me questioning a lot of things, like it has with most everyone.  The one I want to noodle on here is what it means for us as a field.  Is this an existential crisis or not – both for the field and for us individually?  Presuming it is, what are we (individually and collectively) to do?

Do we look inward and focus on:

• Being good classroom instructors
• Teaching lawyering skills
• Resolving court cases
• Keep working on our scholarship as if nothing has changes
• Being good members of our respective law school communities

Do we question:

• Whether our work has gone for naught
• Whether I should take a break for a while
• Whether our field of expertise matters any more
• Whether our innovation and thought leadership will be suspect and devalued
• Whether we should reinvent ourselves in some way

Do we see an opportunity because

• Dialogue and de-escalation are needed more than ever
• We are influencers (of sorts) who can model how to approach difficult situations and provide stability
• We can help build new systems
• Conflict is dynamic and we should rise to meet new challenges
• If not you, then who?

If you are like me, you’ve felt a little of all of these things.  And likely others that I haven’t thought of (please put them in the chat).  This strikes me as normal when BIG THINGS happen.  We feel all of the feelings, and we come out where we come out.  And what is best for you may not be best for someone else.  Like many, I am still figuring this out and will likely be doing so for some time.

In the meantime, all I can ask you to do is hang in there and remember that the only way through this is to go through.