STAY THE COURSE: An Invitation to Be the Change

Art credit: Zack Rhodes

​Historically in the United States and across the globe, the circumstances and cultural atrocities we have endured have made it clear we are not in control. Systems have been developed over time to herd and subdue the populace. Even as citizens of a republic, we are being denied certain inalienable rights—slowly at first and then big events, up to and including genocide, usurp us. We feel powerless to reclaim these rights, so we quit trying. We give up hope and concede to the powers that be. Often times we vote for the lesser of two evils, or we don’t vote at all. We have learned throughout history that many of those in power have little interest in the betterment of mankind or the preservation of the planet. Hopelessly we tune into our preferred news broadcast and observe the calamity and disparity of our current politico. This not where our story ends, however. On the contrary, we have been granted an invitation to begin. We are being invited to rise to the occasion and vote A New Congress into office in November.

Fires rage in the Western United states, and the current leadership responds with bizarre tweets instead of proactive solutions. Scandals pervade the oval office. Hateful rhetoric and accusations of our Commander-in-Chief using racial slurs are a regular occurrence. There seems to be no accountability for blatant crimes against the people by their own government. All the candidates who inspired us to unite and challenge the corrupt establishment in the 2016 elections were cast out, overshadowed by these money-mongering, malicious madmen, and it seems the blinds have been pulled down over the nation’s eyes. 
​
The current administration and those who have been placed in power have bought their entry and are using dirty dollars to manipulate political outcomes. Things are absolutely bonkers in Washington D.C. So, what’s next? Where do we go from here? They have money; we have numbers. Something new and meaningful is on the horizon, and the midterm election of this year will be the experiment we can use to prove this. We were witness to an incredible alignment in 2016. A spark ignited a fervent togetherness that we have been collectively longing for. For a moment, change was an attainable notion. In spite of the reality and what we think to be the new normal, we need not give up hope. Divisiveness is our demise. We must not lose sight of the power of the vote—especially when we show up in multitudes, united by the same vision. We must exercise our rights as citizens of this and other great nations. We must vote for change. As anthropologist Margaret Mead so eloquently reminded us, we must “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” 

---