This week, it almost took my breath away to see a pair of enormous bald eagles perched together at the edge of a jetty near the beginning of a trail run as their calm camaraderie was touching. Despite an abundance of large fish splashing conspicuously all around them, these two genuinely seemed to be doing nothing more than resting, enjoying one another’s company, and the view.

I realize, of course, eagles are predators, but this particular scene felt poignant, I believe, for the symbolism it evoked of complementary components of American democracy being at peace both with one another and their environs. As I’ve written before, I believe it is essential to value the ideals of both freedom and equality in lawmaking and civics and to adjust when imbalances seem to emerge. These principles, like our political parties in an ideal sense, do not act in cahoots (or, a “relationship” that poses a net harm to the world) but in union (a relationship that may involve sincere challenges to one another but that benefits the world). Advocates for freedom and equality, in other words, do occupy different positions, but they should nevertheless be positions on the same team.

It still feels to me that, through corruption via stock market forces, both political parties have, at times, seemed to literally fight against the principles of both freedom and equality by siding with an entity whose purpose has, arguably, historically been to create as much distance as possible between appearance and reality and, too often, profiteering from what could be called arsonist-firefighter schemes in the resulting gap.

And it felt relevant to hear a Frontline interviewee talk about what he described as Mussolinian method of consolidating undemocratic power structures by plucking the target incrementally and “feather by feather, to lessen the squawking,” dismantling independent media, opposition politics, and rigorous debate.

Today, I took heart, anyway, hearing a school group in passing learning about the importance of practicing stewardship whenever they are in nature. But it feels just as important, today, to underscore how essential it is that, as Americans, our freedoms and rights need to be cared for by an active and informed citizenry.