It's Up To Us Now

Liberty wooden puzzles are my favorite. This one supports the non-profit where my daughter works.

Instead of watching the inauguration, I did a puzzle. And I thought about where we go — where I go — from here. I am sure this will be an ongoing topic of my posts here, but for now, I want to share some of my initial thoughts.

First, the most powerful tools we have in an Oligarchy are our money and our attention. We vote every day with the dollars we spend and the things we look at — especially online and on screen (and food, too). We have the power to immediately turn off the faucets of certain businesses if we choose to. I am not talking about boycotting or being loud about our choices. In fact, I think it’s more powerful if we are quiet about it and simply change our behavior long-term. You don’t have to delete your accounts if you don’t want to, either. But DO NOT click on any advertisements or sponsored posts. For example, if you “Google” something, skip the AI-generated content and the sponsored sites and go down to the regular sites. Go direct. Use other search engines. Find your safe spaces online. Mine are Substack, Bluesky, Ground News, and good old-fashioned email. When it comes to watching things on screen, make sure your eyeballs are going to reasonable sources like C-SPAN, Netflix, and Disney Plus. Be on your guard. Do not get seduced into escapism and denial. I will not be returning to TikTok because of its blatant betrayal of its loyal users.

Which brings me to my second point: Who can we trust? Ourselves. Only ourselves and our loved ones. We don’t need labels like DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) or ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance investing) to do the right thing. What is the right thing? Treat others with respect and kindness. Live your life as if every action matters, even if it feels like it doesn’t. Invest in companies you believe in and are doing good work for all of us. Protect nature and your body from harm by toxic chemicals, if you can (buying organic and regenerative organic foods and clothing can accomplish both). Ask questions and seek to understand instead of leaping to judgment and blame.

Third, get involved locally. The reason we are here today is that certain vested interests played the long game and infiltrated school boards, town councils, churches, and media and entertainment. We blindly believed that we were free to not participate because “someone,” aka. our Democracy had our back. We could complain about it like kids complaining about our parents, but we couldn’t be bothered with the responsibility to do the work ourselves. If we want to be grown-ups in a country that honors our freedom, we have to act like grown-ups, even if it fucking sucks! (Yeah, I hate doing the dishes too.)

I’ll never forget the feeling that I had after reading John Adams, by David McCullough, published in 2001. I realized two major things from reading it:

1. The American Revolution was long, hard, and not a certain win by any means. It took over 10 years, and many times, people thought all was lost.

2. Revolutions can only succeed if they are fought from within. Outside forces will never have enough passion, stamina, and intelligence to win over dedicated people who love their country.

After I read it, I knew that we would not “win” the Iraq war or the war in Afghanistan either (especially). I wrote an editorial about it in my then magazine, Organic Style, and got so much hate mail I ended up getting a very scary dog to protect me (who ended up being a complete sweetheart). It gives me no pleasure to say 24 years later that I was right. But I was. Meanwhile, we created even more hatred towards Americans. Hatred is contagious and toxic. Just look at us. We are all a mess. But what we do and don’t do now is more important than ever. Pay attention.

We are in this together, and it’s up to us now. Let me know what you want me to weigh in on or help us figure out. You can always find me here. Thank you for being here.

My scary dog, Pippa (may she rest in peace) on an Afghan rug.