Sometimes awareness is a much too heavy weight on your back. If you've been reading or watching the news lately, there's a lot to be aware of, and that awareness is anything but comforting. In fact, most of the issues on the front page and back pages too are utterly devastating. In the face of this devastation, there's definitely a side of me that just wants to make it go away. I want someone to magically appear to just make it better, but unfortunately it's not going to be that easy. There's work to do if we want to retain a strong, just country that is continually developing toward a greater good.
Priorities
As I read countless articles today about all kinds of real situations at play in our world, in the back of my mind, I kept focusing on the need to prioritize--the need to make a top-three or top-five list, and then get to work. Yet amidst all that's going on, it's difficult to prioritize, but I'm taking a stab right here.
1. Clean up government
If you've been listening to the January 6th Hearings or watching closely what's been happening at leadership levels locally, statewide, and nationally, you know that we have some greedy, self-serving, racist, corrupt leaders in power. Many of these leaders have little to no conscience, and if ever they had any ideals related to good government or serving the people, they've given up. I haven't given up as I do believe that there are people out there who make excellent, honest, hard working, good leaders who will effect the kind of change and growth that spells good living. I've seen leadership and development like that happen throughout my life which has afforded me and others terrific opportunities to live good lives. We have to do the good work of electing the kinds of leaders that will work in intelligent, researched, collaborative, thoughtful and creative ways to uplift lives rather than relegate us to tight, restrictive, dehumanizing laws and policies. We can't elect officials who rely on self-serving propaganda to prop up their personal wealth and power rather than do the good work possible. So please research whose running for office, run yourself if you're able, vote, encourage everyone you know to vote, and support good candidates in any way you can locally, within your state and across the nation.
2. Don't be fooled
In this high tech age, it's easy to be fooled by media manipulation. It's incredible how unethical people in the know use countless propaganda tactics to trick and fool you. There's a science to this that's difficult to discern. Be as educated as you can be about that propaganda, and be open to the suggestions of friends and others with regard to your opinions and allegiances--you may have been tricked into thinking someone is a just-right leader when, in fact, they're a master at propaganda instead. One way to steer clear of this is to vary the media you watch regularly--try out different channels, radio shows, Internet sites and more. Also try to attend local political events regularly to hear people discuss and debate the issues first hand.
3. Imagine the world you want
It's hard to fool someone who already has a strong image of the world they desire. What is the world you want? How do you balance your personal needs with what it takes to promote the common good? What are you willing to give up for others? I've thought a lot about this as I consider multiple political agendas, and this is my list of priorities:
- Promote as much good living as possible with ready access to the basic needs of nutritious foods and good homes, quality education and health care, safe inviting communities, healthy recreation, and preservation of natural resources, lands and waterways.
- Mitigate undue harm and death with sensible gun laws, substantial mental health supports, reasonable job expectations, fair pay, and updated consumer, health, education, transportation, environmental regulations and oversight
- Maintain a separation of church and state as well as a respect for all religions
- Eradicate systematic racism as well as limitations and exclusion of any groups in the country--allow people to live their lives with as much freedom as possible which means loving who they choose, living where they want to live and engaging in the kinds of activities they enjoy as long as those activities do not harm others.
- Do not limit individual's reproductive rights - reproduction is simply too complex and too personal for any kind of one-size-fits-all law or legislation. For those who feel strongly about protecting the lives of the unborn, I suggest they work to create paths outside of the legal realm that save and protect those lives such including good and accurate reproduction education for all girls and boys beginning at a young age, support for systems related to reproductive decisions, greater supports for pregnant women and their loved ones, greater access to contraception of any kind, and more supports for families and children.
- Hold unlawful, dangerous law makers accountable for their corruption.