Jonathan P. Sims

I was recently on a plane and the flight attendant said, “Can I take a selfie with you? I grew up watching Supernatural.” He had an accent, and I said, “Of course. Where are you from?” His lip quivered a bit, and he said, “I know you hate Russia, but I am from there.” That made me realize I need to say: I don’t hate Russia or Russians—I hate what Putin has done to Ukraine and Syria. I don’t hate Palestinians, but I hate what the leaders of Hamas did on October 7th. I don’t hate Israel or Israelis, but I hate the death, suffering, and destruction Netanyahu has wrought on Gaza. And I love my country, but I hate the authoritarian tactics and divisiveness that Trump is wielding to tear us apart and destroy what we stand for. Bad leaders will deploy the power of nations to enrich themselves, silence opposition, and maim and kill—but that doesn’t make the people of those nations bad. Instead, I think bad leaders call us all to action: to stand up and fight for what’s right and to protect those who can’t protect themselves. My flight attendant grew up watching Sam, Dean, and Cas doing just that—fighting till their last breaths to save the world from the forces of evil. I think there’s a reason we take inspiration from those stories—in our hearts we know: we’ve got work to do.