A majority of people living in the United States are not happy with our many levels of government. Perennial dissatisfaction has solidified into disgust and popular anger.
These feelings are so omnipresent — across all regions, generations, and political ideologies — that it is the central character of our national mood. And it’s absolutely justified.
The courts are political, parties are soulless, politicians are vengeful, and essential services are being gutted, hamstrung, and completely eliminated.
When good, passionate people want to help others but are continually thwarted by rules, or by obstructive and feckless gatekeepers, it’s clear that the entire system is malfunctioning and destructive.
The most difficult part to recognize, and reconcile, is that the government is us. Not a foreign entity, but the key collective work of our society. And it is failing because we are not healthy, honest and fair.
There is no easy path out of this quagmire. No election will save us from ourselves and the mess before us. No laws or new rules will have enough effect. Money — whether less or more — is not the answer.
At this point, revolution is inevitable.
The real questions before us are now: What shape will it take? What are our goals? How will we create a better life for ourselves and our communities? How can we make a more just and fair society?
And of course there are no easy answers. The right answers may be the hardest, and likely more difficult than anything we have ever tried to accomplish before.
You can say that without taking anything away from where we have been and those that came before us. They fought their battles. And now, this is our time to realize and face the massive challenges before us.
Our neighbors and political opponents may feel like enemies today. We are social creatures, extremely sensitive to the cries and protests of our kin. It’s impossible, then, not to have an opinion about all this.
The real enemy, though, is suffering, pain and upheaval. Whether manmade, or climate related, or dumb luck, does not matter. Who caused it matters, but only to mitigate continuing harm and stifle repeated misdeeds.
Finding and advancing sustainable solutions is the name of the game — and it’s a shared responsibility we cannot ignore. This work will take an evolution in the way we conceive of democracy, and it requires the will to listen, deliberate, and compromise.
This is revolution. You are either on board with recognizing the good you can do for your fellow beings, or you are part of the problem, and the fight will be to limit your power for the benefit of the populace.
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Twitter post, July 1, 2022