Like most of you, I had to look up the definition of “woke” back in the word’s early days to make sure I understood what it meant when it started showing up in conversations and news reports.

Now it’s almost impossible to get through a day without hearing about the evils of left-wing wokeness. (Exhibit A: My computer’s spellcheck already recognizes “wokeness” as a word.)

As you know, Florida has become the first state to officially make wokeness a thought-crime. Gov. Ron DeSantis, who may or may not be running for president, but probably is, or will be, or, if Mr. Trump is too big a hurdle to overcome, then certainly vice-president, since Mike Pence messed up by following the constitution in early 2021, and — oh, sorry, I digressed.

Back to thought-crime. Gov. Ron DeSantis makes no bones about his bona fides as a culture warrior as he cheerleads Florida’s determination to put a shovel into the hands of every voter along with instructions for its use; namely: dig hole. Insert head.

The new Florida law now makes three kinds of heretofore free speech illegal. Here they are:

First, you can’t suggest to employees or students that people are “inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.” (All the verbiage in quotes is taken directly from the bill.)

For the record, I absolutely agree that babies, when born, are not racist, sexist or oppressive. But babies have a way of growing up.

Racism, sexism, etc., exists because children and adults are taught to be that way, and then they pass it on. Depending on the culture in which some grow up, attitudes and standards can become so ingrained that they appear unconsciously normal until somebody finally points out that not all women like to be referred to as bitches or ho’s.

Florida’s new law also makes illegal any statements in the classroom or employee training that people are oppressed (or privileged) based on their race, gender or national origin. This provision may make it tough for teachers to talk about the Civil War, unless you want to suggest that Black enslaved humans actually enjoyed their all-expenses paid cruise ship voyage to America to be sold on the auction block, thereby qualifying for a lifetime of free room and board, along with cool custom branding.

As for today, if you want to claim that discrimination does not exist anywhere in 21st century America, I can only recommend that you widen your circle of friends.

But finally, I come to the bill’s third point, with which I completely agree: students and employees should not be taught that a person “bears personal responsibility for and must feel guilt, anguish, or other forms of psychological distress” over actions committed in the past by members of the individual’s gender, race or national origin.

Like you, in my student years, I learned about America’s historically shameful treatment of Blacks, Native Americans, Hispanics, Asians, gays, non-Protestant churchgoers and women of all races.

But I want to be extremely clear on this point: During my education I felt no personal shame because of what had happened in our nation’s occasionally sordid history. I wasn’t part of it. But because of my education, I grew up feeling a responsibility to be an agent for change insofar as the legacy of such discrimination continues today, which it absolutely does.

It’s my opinion that when Americans understand both our nation’s greatness and the areas in which we have fallen short, we have two choices: to bury our heads in the sand, or try to make things better for the generations yet to come. I believe that those seeking to correct the social and moral mistakes rooted in our nation’s past are the types of citizens our Founders hoped we’d be. An honest age-appropriate education that teaches us about America’s history — good and bad — coupled with compassionate, honest conversations about our present-day realities, may be our best chance for one day forming a more perfect union.

To do anything less is to become a nation of ostriches, with our heads stuck firmly in the sand. Invisible. With liberty and justice for the mostly white majority. If that’s your thing, fine. It’s just not mine.

Chris Huston is an author and award-winning columnist living in southern Idaho. Connect with Chris on both Facebook and Instagram at Chris Huston-Finding My Way and at chrishustonauthor.com.