Every once in a blue moon something happens in the world that shocks people, enough so that they remember what they were doing when they first heard the news.

I had that situation last Sunday after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. It started out as a typical summer Sunday, with coffee followed by a skillet breakfast.

I decided after breakfast that it was already too hot for a walk. I decided to go to the Camden beach. My car was down to less than a quarter of a tank, so I stopped at my usual place for a refill.

When I went in to pay I saw the banner headline on the front page of the Star Tribune. Trump had been shot in Pennsylvania.

I decided to cancel my Camden trip and go home where I could keep an eye on the cable news channels. I didn’t watch them continuously since information was limited and kept getting repeated. I just tuned in every hour or so to see if there was anything new.

In between I read from one of the books I’ve been reading. It’s about Franklin Roosevelt and his political enemies. By coincidence one of the five enemies (Huey Long) was assassinated in Louisiana.

I also listened to one of my favorite compact discs (Gordon Lightfoot’s greatest hits). With good music in the background, I thought about what transpired and what it meant.

I thought about how violence is far too prevalent in America. I wondered if we’ve peaked as a civilization, if we’re spiraling downward toward chaos.

The assassination attempt was a shock, but it didn’t totally surprise me. I had been concerned that someone might shoot Trump during the course of the presidential campaign because he’s so controversial. There’s little if any middle ground. People either love him or seriously dislike him.

There are people who hate him. There are also people who fear him. All it takes is one such person who might decide he needs to be stopped.

We don’t know if the assassin was politically a leftist. He could easily have been a mentally ill person who hates all leaders. Trump might have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time at the farm show.

Either way I hope things don’t escalate. I hope their aren’t more attempts on Trump’s life. I hope the radical right fringe (like the people who invaded the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021) don’t decide that there’s a need to retaliate and plot to assassinate President Biden.

Broadcasters on the news channels speculated whether the incident might instead cause a change in the tone of American politics, if both parties might tone down the rhetoric.

If events during this week’s Republican convention are any indication, that’s not likely to happen. Harsh partisan differences continued to be expressed by both sides.

To a great extent I blame the cable news channels. I don’t watch them unless there’s really big news. We have a conservative channel and two liberal channels. I think even the side I agree with is biased and not balanced in its reporting.

I often check the 5:30 news because it’s just short soundbites. There’s no time for much bias. Maybe we need a news network (possibly one connected to PBS) that presents information like Walter Cronkite, giving facts and leaving interpretation to the viewers. Conservatives and liberals alike could watch it and respect it.

I ended Sunday doing something very simple. I sat on my living room couch, looked out my picture window and watched for fireflies. I saw about a dozen of them.

I spent a little extra time on my front porch this week. I like my front porch. I enjoy waving to neighbors and others who pass by. Most of them wave back. Once in a while someone stops for a conversation.

America needs fireflies and front porches more than ever. Many newer houses have front porches but homeowners never use them. It’s good if they actually get used.

Hopefully at some point in my lifetime it gets to the point where neighbors, co-workers and casual friends can have intelligent, detailed discussions about important issues.

Trump has been almost a taboo subject, unless you’re with close friends who you know are like minded. People don’t have to agree. We can still respect each other’s opinions. We could once again become a culture that includes tolerance and mutual respect.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter in southwest Minnesota