Hi, beloved ents. <3 I don't know if this sort of post is allowed, even though I swear I read through the rules like three times trying to figure it out. I'm going to just go ahead and take the chance and post it anyway, and if the mods need to remove it I understand. Today I smoked a delicious bowl and started writing in my journal and it somehow turned into this. It's long winded and probably nothing anyone will read all the way to the end, but it felt really important while I was writing it, like it was a truth that maybe someone would benefit in some small way from reading, and so, fuck it. I'm going to stop explaining and just post it. And if just one of you reads it, then I wrote it for you, man. And my afternoon wasn't wasted.
(P.S. I attempted html and have never tried to do that on reddit, so I have no idea what this is going to look like formatting wise or if I can edit a text-based post after posting if I did it wrong. I guess we'll find out together. That's what throwaways are for, right?)
edit: Okay, I figured out the bold and italics but still don't know how to make the links work. :/
It's an interesting time to be an American. Each day, our actions and decisions tell a story about who we are as a people. We're telling this story both consciously and unconsciously; to ourselves, to future generations of Americans, to people of other nations all over the world, to the planet herself. As an American there are lots of things about my country that I'm damn proud of and, lately, disproportionately more that make me feel brokenhearted and ashamed. No matter which political party we identify and align ourselves with, I think we can all agree that as a country, there's a lot that needs our attention and energy, lots of room for improvement. We're all anxiously awaiting those “better times” we've been told are just ahead. If you're nodding in agreement and you're a member of the middle class, these feelings might be quickly followed by guilt. You're not trying to seem ungrateful. Look at those impoverished children growing up the slums of Mumbai or the poor bastards in North Korea. We're smart enough to recognize that things could be better, but we're also a people with the fear of “I'll give you something to cry about” engraved on our hearts. We recognize that despite the utterly fucked up things that happen in this country every day, it could also be much, much worse. So we keep our mouths shut and go to work and do the best that we can with what we've been given day after day after day, and the story we are telling ourselves and other residents of this planet, and future generations who will only come to know us through what they read in history books, is one of fear. We can call it, “Don't Rock the Boat or They'll Give Us Something to Cry About.” This seems to be the silent agreement that, somewhere along the line, the middle class in America made with each other. The story we have been telling ourselves so long that we no longer even realize that if we made it up in the first place, we have the power to change it. We can live in a different story; we are the authors of our own fate.
I'm no one special. I'm just a girl. I'm so basic that sometimes I stand in front of the refrigerator eating blueberries and frosted flakes and it's so intensely wonderful I feel certain that I have discovered the meaning of life, there in the thunderstorm of colliding sensations. But that's really the majority of us living in this country, right? The bulk of us are just average Joes and Janes, trying to squeeze the most possible happiness out of whatever tiny moments we manage to snatch away from our busy lives and clutch to ourselves. Trying to have the fullest range of human experience we can manage on a few weeks off from work each year. We work hard, we try to stay on top of the bills. We all want to make enough of a living to surprise our loved ones with unexpected treasures now and then; we all adore that buzz of pleasure that comes only from watching the face of someone we love light up with unexpected delight. Almost all of us dream of traveling more, experiencing more, doing more, being better, being our best. The salary range which defines the middle class is a broad one: if you make between $25,000 and $75,000 you fall into the middle, but no matter which end of the spectrum you are on, you probably feel held back by circumstance. Across the range, we are united in the feeling that we're part of a system that sets us up to fail. That doesn't seem to have our backs. We're unsure how to go about improving our own lives. We know how our parents and grandparents did it, but that doesn't seem to be working for us. We feel discouraged. Sometimes powerless, restless. Many members of the middle class live in constant fear of losing the little traction they may have managed to gain. As a people, the middle class in America is the proverbial elephant who has lived in captivity its whole life, unaware that now, fully grown, it has the power to break the flimsy rope around it's ankle. We live oblivious to the power and influence our collective energy has, instead sitting tied to the post with a rope, trying to make the best of what we are given, but knowing in our hearts that we are capable of so much more.
One of my favorite and most beloved humans of all time, Joseph Campbell, had this to say about the United States of America: “This is the first nation in the world that was ever established on the basis of reason instead of simply warfare.” Our founding fathers were incredibly intellectual guys, for their time or for ours. While we have made huge scientific and technological advances since their heyday, a plague of apathy seems to have settled like a fog over many Americans. At it's height in 1876 voter turnout was over 81%, but in 1920, only 49.2% of the population voted in the Presidential Election, a historic low at the time. It's hovered in the 48-59% range ever since, only breaking into the 60%'s in 1952 (the Red Scare apparently motivated more citizens than usual to go to the polls) and then again in 1960,1964 and 1968 (I found it pretty surprising that even the huge political upheaval going on in our country in the 1960's never motivated more than 62.8% of citizens to get out and vote!). The statistics seem to show that, over the years, we as citizens have become comfortably numb; lazy constituents who are not invested in our role in our political system. There are people in this country who think their vote doesn't matter, and they are the people to whom I am writing on this rainy Monday night. They are the people with whom I implore you to share this.
Somehow we have come to think of self-care as putting oneself first and others second, therefore showing favor to ourselves and slighting others in some way by putting them second. Most of us don't want to do that; we don't want to be greedy, it doesn't feel natural to put ourselves first and our lovers or spouses or children or aging parents or wayward siblings or ailing aunt that practically raised us second, that sounds awful. We're kind of a suffer in silence class of people, it seems. But I would like to suggest that self-care can alternatively be thought of as a ground zero, a foundation that actually enables you to always put others first. Your family can still be number one; or your job if you choose, or your kids, or your pets. But zero comes even before one. It is absolutely necessary that each of us look inside ourselves and become intimate with our own truths. We must discover our own truths and put our own vital energy into living our best life; only then can we truly give the best of ourselves to our husbands, wives, lovers, children, best friends. By each of us truly working to know and care for our selves, we are increasing our ability to care for those outside our selves, to care for the rest of the world. The founders of our country understood that. The Declaration of Independence is a really beautiful piece of work, have you read it recently? It lights me up inside.
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
“...When in the Course of human events', indeed. Reports are coming in fast and furious from scientists that climate change is a bigger and more quickly escalating problem than we even realized – and I think most of us already thought it was looked pretty fucking dark. We no longer have the luxury of time. We can not continue to wait around for the big guys to fix things—they're they ones that mucked it up in the first place. As the largest group of citizens in our country, it's our responsibility to take back our power. But how? Individually, each of us is so small. It sounds like a daunting task, right? And you're really busy just trying to pay your bills and have a date night with your spouse once in awhile. But then, this gorgeous, darling document says something even more wonderful:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
Guys---that's us!!! They literally put that in there JUST. FOR. US. We are the citizens! We are the people! When we feel overwhelmed by debt and work, the many things that demand our time and energy that we feel we just can't seem to get out from underneath—maybe you can't afford to own your own home because of your crippling student debt, or your aging parents can't afford their medication, or you can't afford to take more than two weeks off with your newborn baby, and you're crying your heart out in the bathroom stall on your first day back to work, when you feel like it's just impossible to get ahead financially because you work two jobs and don't make a living wage at either, guess what? As a group, if we stand together, we have the power to change those things. Those things have all come to be true because too many of us believe the lie that we have been told so often we're now telling ourselves, that we are powerless. That it's out of our control. Our own apathy and disinterest has allowed our government to pass laws that benefited only a very small population of people actually living in this country. By giving up our passion and our power, we turned ourselves into that poor, darling elephant. Thankfully, those founding fathers had our backs. They made it pretty official that our government derives their just powers from the consent of the governed. However, sitting around waiting for those in power to suddenly give it up out of the goodness of their hearts isn't going to cut it. We have to take it back. And we have to do it intelligently, peacefully, lovingly and swiftly. Our planet can't afford for us to wait anymore. We must hold ourselves to a higher standard, we must be informed, responsible citizens, who put forth our vital energy into declaring what it is that we want to happen in this country and who we want to put in charge of making it happen. Our right to do this is an incredible gift that we have shamefully taken for granted, but we can still make it right with minimal effort. We needn't start a war or an uprising, there's no need for violence or rash behavior. Remember that our country was founded on reason, and the belief that all people in the world have the capacity for reason. They gave us all the tools we need, the ground work has been done. We simply need to renew our vows with our country, so to speak, Declare Our Independence again, this time not from another country, but from the worst and weakest part of ourselves. Our actions must stop telling that story of fear, and start telling a story of bravery and accomplishment. Of positive global change.
*“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security......That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
They trusted us with this important job. We are the stunningly lucky stewards of this beautiful land. Though our states are incredibly different from each other, so much so that in some ways they're like 50 little countries, we ought to make a new pact with each other for the benefit of all; not to keep our mouths shut and our heads down, but that we will each of us, take responsibility for ourselves and play our small part to the best of our ability. The ways in which we can do this are endless, but just now my focus is on the urgent need to elect candidates who are drawn to participate in politics because they are passionate about improving our world and not for their own personal gain. I write this at all, to beg you to believe in and participate in our political process. I know it's not perfect, but that's why it's so important that you participate, so that we can improve it in exactly the right ways. Our founding fathers envisioned a beautiful world and they gave us the power to make it a reality. And right now, in our very midst, we have an intelligent, kindhearted, hard-working, passionate human who is willing to step up and put his most vital energy toward improving things for the benefit of all. Someone who doesn't want to keep us tied to the stake for their own gain. A country of constituents with Baby Elephant Syndrome doesn't interest him because he knows that benefits only the very few at the top of the economic food chain. Someone who will help us realize our full potential as a country and help us, as citizens to live our best lives, therefore enabling us to do the most good possible; something our country, our planet and all of humanity desperately need from us.
He is the longest-serving Independent in U.S. Congressional history. He first became the mayor of Burlington, Vermont in 1981. Talk about putting forth vital energy; personally, that means he has literally been doing this my entire life. In 1983 he was reelected to a second term with 52% of the vote. In 1990, he defeated incumbent Rep. Peter Smith to become the sole Congressman for the state of Vermont, a role in which he served for 16 years. In 2006 he was elected to the U.S. Senate, and in 2012 won re-election with 71% of the vote. He is a thinker and a do-er and his Vermont constituents recognized that and chose him again and again to represent them.
As a student at the University of Chicago he was involved in the civil rights movement; in 1962 he was arrested for protesting segregation in Chicago public schools. In 1963 he was in the crowd in Washington when Martin Luther King gave his famous “I have a dream” speech, which tells me that he's the kind of guy who seeks out opportunities to be inspired, and since that's a quality I believe we should all foster in ourselves, it's a quality I need to see in a leader. He models consistency in his beliefs, something that is more and more rare in the media sideshow that politics has become. (Seriously---check out his voting record! ) In 1992 Congress passed Sanders' first signed piece of legislation to create the National Program of Cancer Registries (now, through NPCR, the CDC “supports central cancer registries in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Pacific Island Jurisdictions. These data represent 96% of the US population and enables researchers, clinicians, policy makers, public health professionals, and members of the public to monitor the burden of cancer, evaluate the successes of programs, and identify additional needs for cancer prevention and control efforts at national, state, and local levels.” That's from <a href=”http://ift.tt/1XZycrx site</a>). He was the first member of Congress to take seniors across the border to Canada to buy lower cost drugs. He literally went on bus trips from Vermont to Canada with a group of breast cancer patients so they could buy their medications in Canada for almost one-tenth of what they would pay to purchase it in the United States. In 2001 he voted against the Patriot Act. In 2002 he voted against the war in Iraq (warning that an invasion might “result in anti-Americanism, instability, and more terrorism”. He has one of the strongest climate change records in the senate. He's a strong advocate for solar power. He cosponsored the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program in 2007 which was passed, and co-wrote (with Ms. Hilary Clinton) the Green Jobs Act, also passed in 2007. When he was mayor of Burlington, <a href=”http://ift.tt/25tvtw4 wife remembers</a>, he would ride on the snowplows to make sure the streets were clear for citizens. “He takes his responsibilities extremely seriously,” she said.
He worked with John McCain to improve the Department of Veteran's Affairs, and believes strongly that we <a href=”http://ift.tt/1XZycrz to improve the mental health care that we provide for our veterans and that we must absolutely put an end to the the disgraceful prevalence of veteran homelessness</a>. An article that I referenced above but now can't find the link to says, “Thanks to the enduring influence of the progressive climate that Sanders and his allies helped to create in Burlington, the city’s largest housing development is now resident-owned, its largest supermarket is a consumer-owned cooperative, one of its largest private employers is worker-owned, and most of its people-oriented waterfront is publicly owned. Its publicly owned utility, the Burlington Electric Department, recently announced that Burlington is the first American city of any decent size to run entirely on renewable electricity.” This passionate, driven man is one of us—he grew up in a three and-a-half room apartment in Brooklyn. His father was a paint salesman. We can be proud to elect him to represent us because he represents the best things about the middle class. His experience and voting record show that he unashamedly stands up for fair treatment for all, even when it's not popular. He has shown we can trust him to not tell us what he thinks we want to hear, but what he knows we need to hear to become a better nation and create a better world. I particularly love <a href=”http://ift.tt/25tvqR4; story, where he passionately insists to the owners of one of Burlington's largest affordable housing complexes, “Over my dead body are you going to displace 336 working families!” and <a href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAFlQ6fU4GM”>this video</a> of him defending gay soldiers 16 years before Don't Ask Don't Tell was repealed. Even then, Bernie wouldn't stand for it.
Bernie Sanders has the brains, the guts, and the experience behind him to do the job we need our leader to do. Who we elect in 2016 will make a profound statement about who we believe we are as Americans and what we think we deserve out of life. I think we can all agree that we deserve more than our current system allows. This is what Bernie is about; helping his constituents work together to build a better world. But Bernie is only one person. He can't do this alone. We, the people must put our vital energy toward manifesting this change. I implore you: If you live in a state that has an upcoming primary or caucus, please get out and vote or participate. If you've never voted before, if you've ever believed that your voice wasn't heard or your vote didn't matter, I am trying to tell you the best way I know how: your voice can be heard. Your vote does matter. Just try it and see.
Perhaps you're overwhelmed by the process, or don't really understand it. Delegates and super-delegates, open, closed, semi-closed primaries, caucuses...it's complicated and confusing. It's because the big guys don't necessarily want to make it easy to understand, because if you don't understand what's going on you probably won't participate in the process, and if you don't participate in the process it's impossible for you to create change and they can continue business as usual, doing what will benefit them while you're too soul crushingly preoccupied stressing over your bills to pay attention and speak up for yourself. This is how we got to where we are, and it's not working. I mean, it's working for the few. But it's not working for the many. It is absolutely urgent that we inform ourselves as citizens and take back our power.Take ten or fifteen minutes to research how it works in your state. Remember they're like 50 little countries? Each state has different rules. Are you in a primary state or a caucus state? How do caucuses work? Can you vote for anyone you want in or can you only vote for a candidate running under the party you are registered with? Do you have to be registered ahead of time, or can you register the day of the election? In some states, Independents can't vote in Republican or Democratic primaries or participate in a caucus at all. In others, they can. Wisconsin, Wyoming, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Indiana—like I said, I'm just an average girl so I hope I'm reading that right, but a quick google search tells me you're up in April. Start researching the specifics of what you need to do to vote now. In May it looks like West Virginia, Kentucky and Oregon have some voting to do and in June California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and the District of Columbia have a chance to weigh in on who they want to put in charge of going to bat for them.
<a href=”http://ift.tt/1XZycrB article</a> helps break down the primary process for those of us without a political science degree, and so does <a href=”http://ift.tt/25tvqR6 one</a>. <a href=”http://ift.tt/1XZya32 is an excellent resource</a>; just click on your state for information specific to you.
Citizens just like you and me showing up to vote for Bernie have created huge lines at primaries and caucuses across the country. In some states, <a href=”http://ift.tt/25tvtw6 had to wait in line for hours to cast their vote</a>. I think it's wonderful that literally just by showing up, we, the people, are saying that we care so much about our future that our local government is going to have to change the current system to accommodate our passion. I heard discussion at my local caucus that my home state might change over to a primary state before the next election because of the large turnouts. That is so exciting. Our presence alone has a quiet, peaceful power over our government and not everyone in the world can say that. So set your alarm, pack some snacks and a book you're always complaining that you don't have time to read and go stand in line for a few hours if that's what it takes. If you want a life where you don't have feel so busy and stressed and saddled with debt, if you feel you deserve maternity or paternity leave so that you can bond with your newborn when they need you the most, if you want your parents to be able to afford their medication and your kids to be able to afford a good education, you should think about voting for Bernie in the primaries as something that you can't afford NOT to do.
If you don't voice your desire for change, they've got you right where they want you. You're the sad elephant with the ankle bracelet. Stop accepting that lot. Live up to your full potential. Let your light shine. Put forth an effort such as you never have, before. Now is the time. The earth is begging for our help in every way she knows how. Bernie has spent the last 30+ years proving that he's up to the challenge and has stepped forward and volunteered to devote the next 4-8 years of his life trying to help us. He has the best interest of Americans and the whole human race at heart; he understands that as a county, we need to lead by example and care for ourselves properly so that we have more to give away to others. Our forefathers gifted us with a power we have carelessly given away and we are the only thing standing in our way of reclaiming it.
Submitted March 29, 2016 at 09:23AM by JaneQP http://ift.tt/1UYVfmY trees
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