I don’t watch much TV, I rarely go on YouTube except to watch some SNL comedy now and then, and I pretty much live in my own peaceful world here on Orcas Island. I am fairly ignorant of all the myriad details happening in politics and government aside from the larger announcements, so understand that I am not stating anyone’s opinions below but my own.
I’ve been thinking about how comfortable our American institutions have made us. We in this country are so used to the relative security that the structures of our democratic government have provided for us over the past decades that we are not ready for the shock that may be coming very soon.
As Trump daily dismantles the framework of our country and the important reputation and relationships we have had with other nations, I think we may soon resemble something we aren’t prepared for. We may be in a sort of mental molasses, not keeping pace with the rapid changes putting the US in a state of emergency – like the Titanic that is in one moment the most comfortable place in the world and in the next, sinking with all its passengers. We may look back in several months or a year and think we should have left the country. But where to go? Our previous institutions provided a level of security and freedom that may be hard to find elsewhere, as the America we’ve known is quickly becoming a thing of the past.
Canada, Ukraine, Greenland, Mexico, and the countries of Europe, Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Australia, and the other islands dotting the seas out there, please know that we, the people of the United States, do not stand unified under this person who is our president. (I refuse to capitalize the p in that word while Donald Trump occupies the position, since he is guided by neither wisdom, intellect, nor peace.) Citizens in countries around the world who are watching us, please know that tens and even hundreds of millions of us here in the US did not vote for this person and are absolutely appalled by his choices.
We need to speak up before more time elapses. A massive peaceful protest on the same day, at the same time, in every town and city would be ideal. The world needs to know we don’t agree with the person who is making our country’s decisions. And our own country needs to see how many of us are saying no all at once.
Sometimes I don’t know what I can do as one single person, but I have to remind myself that it can be as simple as a peaceful protest begun by one individual. I would like word to spread around the country, for all citizens to sit on the same day. All I can do is call a day, time, and place when I will sit, and ask you to join me for an hour or so after spreading the word to our community and beyond.
You don’t have to prepare anything, bring anything, buy anything, or wear anything in particular if it keeps you from showing up. Just show up. I thought about wearing black, the color of rebellion, but that is Elon’s color. So I will simply arrive in a shirt that says something in my own writing, like “I Say No.”
I don’t usually get serious on this blog, and I don’t intend for posts to continue in this fashion, but this situation is beyond serious. I would love to pretend we are sheltered from what’s coming on our little island hideaway from the world. But we are not.
I understand that many of you may balk at joining me because you’re hesitant to lose opportunities and positive relations with employers, clients, family, and friends. While it does take courage to do what you believe in, I am not putting out this call to divide our families and communities. I will continue in harmonious relations with others of differing opinions each and every day. One of the greatest things about this country (so far) is the freedom to voice differing opinions and the ability to love one another despite our differences.
If you feel any fear about doing this, I ask you to notice what may be standing in the way of your courage, whether it’s fear of going outside your comfort zone, fear of people’s perceptions of you, fear of what to wear, how you’ll look, who will or won’t be there, and so on. Now I ask you to set all that aside. Fear is never an accurate predictor of anything and accomplishes nothing but a challenge to overcome. Take up courage and see what ensues. Sometimes a butterfly’s wings shift the winds of an entire sky.*
Join me on the sidewalk near Brown Bear, Ladybug, and Island Thyme. I will be sitting there at 12:30 this Sunday. May we line the concrete with silent protest. (And stand with umbrellas if it’s raining.)
* The Butterfly Effect according to Wikipedia: The phrase refers to the effect of a butterfly’s wings creating tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate, or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in another location. The butterfly does not power or directly create the tornado, but the term is intended to imply that the flap of the butterfly’s wings can cause the tornado: in the sense that the flap of the wings is a part of the initial conditions of an interconnected complex web; one set of conditions leads to a tornado, while the other set of conditions doesn’t. The flapping wings create a small change in the initial condition of the system, which cascades to large-scale alterations of events.
I DO urge people to wear BLACK. Not only is it the color of mourning. but it is associated with the longstanding SILENT VIGIL group “Women In Black”
This international group was started by Israeli and Palestinian women who realized in many ways they were poles apart, but had suffered the same losses. At noon in many countries they still meet on Fridays in ABSOLUTE SILENCE.
Silence is powerful as are the faces of mothers and older citizens in numbers. Community is equally powerful and ours is SO special!
Thanks for getting more folks onto the mess Trump’s making for all folks, our nature all over the planet.
Despite your righteous anger and determination to protest Trump’s latest moves to defraud, disenfranchise and demean, I think the horse already left the barn on that score. It might have been better if you had left your comfortable little cocoon on Orcas and expressed yourself BEFORE the election, when a majority of your fellow citizens voted in that monster.
Are you surprised and what he is doing? How can you be? He was quite clear about what he planned to do from the beginning of his first run for office. Your shock reveals a fundamental lack of seriousness and astonishing ignorance. No doubt you consider yourself a progressive Democrat, yet that party trashed the political careers of two eminently qualified women leaders by running clueless campaigns IN SUCCESSION, against the same MORON. That takes a stunning effort of perverted genius, cheered on by too many who think the Milky Way is God’s daisy chain.
Protest now is beside the point. Yes, we all know you are not happy, as your romantic log indicates, but after doing that, when do you plan on actually doing the hard work of figuring out:
1, How we got into this fix;
2, figure out what better ideas can capture the attention of the unloved disaffected
voters,
3, how to craft messages that inspire confidence, or, at least cogently identify what
has happened to this country and,
4, Do the hard, sweaty work bring about healing and positive, broadly effective
change..
Trust me; it will take a lot more than a village and more than our lifetimes. When do you want to start?
Aww I love you friend. Thinking of you.. thank you for speaking up, for being that light, that spark that can ignite the seed for change. It’s in the awareness of our indifference, our standing strong on a false belief system that perhaps has been passed on by past generations before .. all stemming from fear. This is our brains- our egos that hold tight to this control, judgement of others, suppression, hate and greed. It’s all coming to the surface now .. and the old ways no longer work. It’s time for a change. It’s time for each of us to awaken. Love you dear one.. I am there in spirit standing by your side!