Stepping back into the fray

Every ending is a beginning

There’s that scene in the Disney film “Moana.” She enters a mysterious cave. She bangs on a drum, and sees an exhilarating vision of the lives of her ancestors. They were brave explorers who took to the high seas, along with their families and possessions, she realizes. Hopping islands across the ocean, they used the knowledge of the ages and to survive and thrive in harmony with the world.

“We know who we are,” they sing.

It has been more than two years since I was laid off from my last job as a foreign correspondent. It was a life that often approached the harmonious blend of Moana’s vision. Work, home, and play fit together perfectly, effortlessly, during years traveling and living across the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe.

I especially relished working in conflict and post-conflict zones. In those rough geographies, I drew upon reporting skills as well as life experiences to quickly and safely capture the voices of often ailing people, and to sketch out the textures of their unsettled surroundings.

Losing that life has been difficult. After 20 plus years of exploring the seas, I was suddenly stuck on one island. Who was I without my intense, all-consuming career?

I had to adjust. I looked for other types of work. I retreated somewhat from the world of news. I reflected. I drew inward. I took up new hobbies. I rediscovered travel for its own sake. I am hoping to find a new equilibrium.

I have also found myself compelled to jump back into the fray. I am dismayed by what is happening in the United States and the Middle East. But I have also been inspired by the mayoral victory of Zohran Mamdani in my former home of New York City, and the political changes and awakenings around the world. I have been listening to podcasts from across the political and geographic spectrum. I have come to humbly believe that I may have some productive or original contributions to ongoing conversations.

In the coming weeks I will try to regularly write pieces of informed commentary and possibly some reporting through “badlands,” a name that refers both to one of my favorite movies and favorite places. I would love to hear any suggestions or proposals for collaboration from friends, old and new.