I have lived in Arizona for 45 years, but lately, when I see it through the eyes of others, both those who live here and those who don’t, I am saddened and ashamed. The political landscape and climate have changed the perspective of how AZ is viewed and perceived by people. Now the picture is full of anger, divisiveness, fear, hatred, stupidity, destructiveness, meanness, racism. AZ has become a tattered, shredded image of its former self under its political leadership for the last few years. The qualities that have always made AZ special, unique and drawn people to it, the beauty and the diversity, have become faded in the scenery. Where is the AZ that I love? Do people not see it, or not know it? How do we restore the image of AZ? Maybe, if we could open our eyes, we could change things.
Having lived here so long, if I could describe AZ through my eyes, perhaps, I could change some viewpoints. I see beauty, I see diversity.