CULTURAL EVOLUTION

Okay. I get it. Things suck. And there is no final crappy thing that will mark the end of things sucking. This is life. Things happen. Some good. Some bad. Both will happen in large amounts. Can't control that. Can only control how we respond. How we live. How we treat one another. 

I am choosing as much love and respect as I can. And doing not only the right thing, but the hard thing. Risking oneself for what is right. Speaking out, politely but unsparingly, for what I believe to be true. Well, maybe not so polite. I might tell someone to go to Hell. Or fuck off. Or ask them to pull their head out of their ass. Because a lot is going on right now, and we are all of us, each and every human being, being counted. Where do we stand on: Covid, Global Warming, Science in general, Systemic Racism, Equal Rights, voting rights, education, the Economic Divide, and on and on and on and on and on. 

It's all coming together, it seems. 

It's one of those moments in history when the world is being tested. And we can either rise up to greater glory than ever before, or sink like Atlantis. 

I prefer rise up and flourish. But that's me. 

What I don't feel like doing is giving up. Ever. I don't think I can. I have built into my brain a desire to fight for what's right. I think we all do. Not that we always do the right thing. Far from it. We all have let things slide, given the benefit of doubt to trolls under the bridge who promise us they are up to no mischief. We've all had that moment when we could have said or done things better. And we will no doubt have more. 

But we are living with such gigantic consequences of letting things slide, I firmly believe we will not let that continue. I think of the Velvet Revolution in the former Soviet Union. I think of the American Revolution. I think of the French Underground during WWII. I think of the Underground Railroad. Things have been awful before. And people chose sides. And there were heroes. 

And there are heroes. 

I want the ghosts of Harriet Tubman and RBG to guide us. 

I want us all to have a daily or nightly seance where we call on the spirits of our personal heroes to return to this realm to help us become better at being human beings.

I want every person reading this to get five people they know to vote, and to vote Democratic. 

My words may be jumbled, my paragraphs rambling, my meaning not clear.

But I am clear. I know what I want: Justice. Peace. A Green New Deal. Equal rights for every human being on this planet.  A future for every little kid I see. 

And together, we can make this all happen. 

No more fear. No more madness. No more lies. 

And no more excuses, for ourselves or for those who seem bent on world destruction. 

Let's take that next step of cultural evolution.

I love you all. Here's a song. It's All Is Not Lost by OK GO

TIME HAS COME AND I AM FULL OF HOPE

Dreamt I was buried alive. Well, not buried. More like planted. I was in this warm, sandy mud, and I could breathe, and the mud was filling me with strength, and I was growing, like I was a flower bulb, or a potato or something. I remember thinking "this is great!", and then my dog barked to be let out, and I woke up. I wonder if that is what is happening right now, what has been happening for the past few months as we have all sat in our homes, worrying and crying and laughing and staring into space and gardening and taking walks and calling our loved ones and getting angry at the lack of response on a federal level and marching in protest. Have we been growing, evolving, mutating into stronger, more capable people? Feels like it to me. I see the people marching, protesting, seeking truth and justice like the heroes we all are. And I feel great pride and joy in being a human being. I feel hope.

I do think some of the flowers and potatoes have been pulled early for various reasons, and are not living up to their full potential. They seem stunted, angry, sad. And make poor decisions that hurt themselves and those around them and the country and the world. We need to help these people see the light. We need to raise up our brothers and sisters, our neighbors, our friends, our enemies, our cities and nations and the entire world. We have to grow into the leaders we want and need. And I think we are. I think, in some strange way, this whole shut down global pandemic economic depression racial injustice has brought about a change that is just now beginning to be seen, like a plant just popping out of the earth. What it will grow into remains to be seen, but I have, as I said, great hope.

Last night, we had a zoom with Lisa's son and his girlfriend, who have gone to three marches so far in NYC. They live in Brooklyn, and are right in the thick of things going on right now. Hearing them speak of what they saw, listening to them share their hopes and fears and ideas was inspiring. I also saw a photo my best friend in the world shared of his niece at a protest in Montana. She is standing her ground, speaking her truth, while this man looms over her, clearly enraged. And the niece looks fierce. So inspiring.

All these people, rising up, going out in this pandemic, it's amazing. And in contrast to the protests just a few weeks ago from those who were demanding we open up our society,  most of the current protesters, who seem much larger in numbers, are wearing masks and not carrying rifles. There is rage being expressed, to be sure. And there are some who are taking advantage of the marches, just as I'm sure there were some who took advantage at the earlier protests. But the overall vibe of the moment feels like my dream last night. Vital. Full of life. A signal of change.

To bring back a phrase, yes we can. We can and we will. We shall not only overcome, we shall grow.

Here's a song. It's The Chambers Brothers, live, doing  Time Has Come Today.