Activate your Activism; 40 Days to Save the World

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We have 40 days to save our world. 40 days to plan, to advocate, to activate, and to VOTE. Our entire existence is at stake. The environment is crumbling as a result of intentionally-removed environmental protections. Murderers in uniform have killed innocent people, with no consequence. Women continue to be at risk of slipping into a Handmaids Tale version of reality. (Women, we are currently under rule of a leader who believes that mere proximity to men suggests that we should expect to be raped.) Family members and peers are fearfully falling prey to an evil narcissist’s fear-mongering political platform. Our rights are in danger, and our world is literally burning. Our time to advocate, to use our voice, to rise, is NOW.

We are hereby to the countdown of 40 days until the life-changing election of 2020.

I could write about more delicious recipes, or more pantry organization tips, but I would be highly remiss if I didn’t use my platform (small as it may be) to address the current and desperate state of our world as we know it. We have 40 days to save our world. It is no secret that this post may trigger some readers. I am aware that this post will trigger some people that I love, maybe some coworkers, maybe some strangers. While such confrontation may be uncomfortable, we are now to a point in which it is necessary.

We are running out of time to save our world, and to save the rights of minorities everywhere. If you feel triggered already, I encourage you to take a deep breath, and calm down your physiological response. Anger is not a primary emotion, remember. I encourage you to set aside your bias, and open your mind, at least for the remainder of this post.

It might help to change your perspective, and therefore, might equip you to be a part of the solution.

It’s interesting; if you ask certain individuals who lived through the Holocaust from the side of the Nazis, most of them genuinely did not know the gravity of what their support of the Nazi regime would mean. “They know not what they do.” That’s familiar, isn’t it?

My father lived in Germany for a time while he was in college, and shared the story recently of a conversation he had with a man who lived through that time, asking him essentially, how could he be a part of something like that, which led to the attempted genocide of an entire group of people? The man’s response was basically one of remorse: “I didn’t realize what it meant. I didn’t realize what it would lead to.”

“They know not what they do.”

I have to assume that so many people who are still in support of our current leadership, simply don’t know. It is likely that so many of them are paralyzed with fear, that they are not allowing themselves to see any other option. I hope that it is fear, or ignorance, or lack of education that is to blame. The only alternative I can see is that so many people are just hateful, and that’s something I don’t wish to have to come to terms with.

Lately I have been trying to read more, and to scroll less. This is something that I have come to require, for my balance of mental health. Social media which once was a helpful hobby has for many, myself included, become a burden of dissension and dismay. It has shown the ugly head of many “friends” who are now revealed to have no regard for human rights. Social media has pepetuated propoganda, which many of us have witnessed loved ones absorbing as pure truth. Social media creators, have even been rumored to be linked to white supremacist groups and hate groups, proving even further that we cannot trust the information we are exposed to.

All of these events, and those of 2020, have warranted a self-care routine unlike any other.

Self-care is crucial, especially in our current times.

Self-care comes in many forms. A big part of it involves making sure that you are okay before you can effectively help anyone else. This is something that my therapist often reminds me of (therapy is for everyone!) and it is something that really does hold true.

2020 has posed multiple layers of stress, like no other in our lifetime. I won’t exhaust you by recapping all of the crazy events, but will instead paint a picture. This year, here is some of what we have faced:

• Environmental fires, environmental disasters, and our leader inviting more destruction of our world, by foolishly removing protections which were our ONLY hope for getting ahead of our climate damage.
• Human rights devalued, disrespected, and disregarded. From police officers (sworn to serve and protect), murdering people with no consequence, (police have murdered 781 people this year), to mass hysterectomies allegedly being performed in ICE detention centers, to our president’s word vomit regarding anyone who is different than him. He even went as far as even calling fallen service members, quote, “losers and suckers.”
• Loss of LGBTQ protections. Trump, despite claiming in his initial campaign to “protect the rights of the LGBTQ community”, has actively worked to remove, reverse, and dismantle various protections for this community.
• A global pandemic, so midhandled and politicized, that nearly 200,000 people have died, from what could have been prevented. To blame, is the president who insists on making death statistics a political point. People’s lives, and the lost lives of loved ones, used as leverage for his divisive leadership in action.

I could go on and on about the atrocities which have resulted from the hideous leadership of these past 4-years.

The point is, we have 40 days left to save our world, and self-care has never been more important. Whether it’s taking some time to find some hygge (a word I recently learned, which describes my favorite way of being), exercising more often, drinking more water, or locking yourself away from the world and meditating to find balance. Self care is crucial, and I’ll tell you why.

If we are not our whole, balanced selves, we cannot rise up to make meaningful change.

We are all tired. The only people who don’t seem to be tired, seem to be the ones who support the world’s current events and its egotistical leader. (Hate will fuel a lot of energy, I guess). For the rest of us, I bet I can speak for many when I say that it is tiring to fight for justice. When the people in power, the people with all of the money, and the core systems of our society are all corrupt, it is exhausting to keep fighting. However, that is just what we have to do. So, before you read further, join me in taking another deep breath, rolling the tension out of our shoulders, and sitting up tall.

My friends, we have 40 days to save our world. It is time to shed the layers of complacency and rise up with fervor, determination, and a hunger for righteousness. We need to have those uncomfortable conversations with family members and peers and to do whatever we can to influence our circles.

My therapist and I recently discussed that there is a misconception about the way in which to go about creating meaningful change. It is not through preaching to the masses over Facebook, or through saying in a bold status update, “unfriend me if you disagree, Trumpers.” As tempting as that may be (believe me, I’ve felt the urge), that is not likely to be effective. An argument on Facebook has never changed anyone’s mind, I can almost guarantee it. What my therapist so wisely instilled in me, is that:

The only place that we can have influence is where there is already an existing relationship.

Now, should we still use our platforms to share relevant information for the cause? Absolutely. Should we teach our children the values of love and acceptance? Heck yes. Should we still share articles that highlight important information? Yes. We also need to be mindful of the sources from whence these messages come.

There is so much misinformation. It is spread by the emotionally charged masses on their platforms and angrily absorbed as truth. We need to filter such information with a cautious questioning.

In the goal of trying to further educate myself, I recently began reading the book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson. If you havent read this yet, I highly encourage you to do so. I got my hands on a copy through the Book of the Month Club, which you can explore by using this link. I’m only a few parts in, but can already say that as a white person, who has benefitted from America’s caste system since birth, it is challenging. As it should be! This book is further educating and challenging my way of seeing and existing in the world, and it’s a perspective check that all of us can benefit from.

Another book, which I refer back to so often because it was that good, is Untamed, by Glennon Doyle. This book is phenomenal and empowering, and its author (Glennon) still is actively providing empowering energy to us all. Recently, she and her sister collaborated on an Instagram video-based discussion, in which the wise words emerged:

“Activism is just people activated. Fighting for yourself is the ultimate form of self-care. We all need to collectively become leaders.”

Glennon Doyle, and Sister, Amanda

It is time to activate. It is time to fight for ourselves, as the ultimate form of self-care. We can no longer wait on and rely on other leaders. It has been made crystal clear that they do not advocate for anything other than their billionaire bank accounts. We need to be the leaders. The leaders of our groups, of our circles, and of our families. Remember, that we can have influence where we have existing relationships.

We have to TRY NOW, or allow our passivity to further empower the oppressors.

I know you’re tired. We all are. But we cannot afford to let ourselves be complacent. As of today, September 24, 2020, we have only 40 more days to save our world from further ruin.

Pray, educate, plan, advocate, and VOTE. Our lives depend on it.