“Optimism is the belief that things are going to get better. Hope is the belief that we can make things better. Optimism is a passive virtue, hope is an active one. It takes no courage to be an optimist, but it does need courage to hope.” - Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
Keep hope alive by continuing to act, write and speak out. We do what we can with what we have.
Frankly I just try to live one minute at a time. Because none of us know what the future holds. As far as our political future it makes me feel insane. Congratulations on the new baby. Take care ✌🏻
Congratulations on being a mom and having another on the way! It's a fleeting moment in time so enjoy every aspect of it that you can! The time that we are in is a dreadful one to get through, no doubt. I have been following Heather Cox Richardson and she writes about a lot of historical accounts that are eerily similar in ways to things that are happening today. Some things long ago, some things not so long ago, but the good news is that the people of the time somehow got through them. So, it's doable! The most promising thing I've been hearing is that it takes just 3.5% of a population to resist a tyrannical takeover. So, I'm really hoping to see that 3.5% plus in full force on October 18 No Kings Day!!!
This is an honest piece. It's hard to imagine bringing a baby into this country, this world, just now. However, as I've written about many times, our systems (political, economic, media, ecological) were failing before the 2024 election. I believe if we can fight for and hold onto democracy the next couple years we'll have opportunity for deep systems-level and cultural change. By the way hallelujah anyway! is a form of opposition. Enjoy and in joy.
I hope you find joy in your life and can put our current political environment aside. You have a mission for your family that takes precedence to all else. We are somewhat stymied until midterms anyway. You should know that is when the battle begins in earnest. In the meantime all of our flag officers in the military have been given instructions from the Commander in Chief on how to negotiate stairs. Further, the Secretary of War gave them instructions on how to shave. I mean. I feel safer knowing our civilian leaders have not a clue as to what they should be doing. Talk about stumblebums. They had weeks to prepare. Unbelievable.
Hope is NOT a plan! You must be prepared to FIGHT for that land you grew up taking for granted. You MUST NOT hope things will get better. You must help make that so!
Thank you for reading, Debbie. That last sentence could have gone in a different order, but for me, the work follows the hope and inspiration. So glad you believe in fighting for justice too!
The admiral leaned forward. “Sir, I don’t know what you are. A vision? A warning? But I’ll listen.”
Lincoln nodded. “I am not here to haunt.”
He gestured toward the window, where helicopters danced like insects and planes were catapulting from the carrier's runway.
"A remarkable sight. I could not imagine a small city on the sea. And, you say this is a ship?"
Lincoln turned around and then placed his vintage stove pipe hat on top of the admiral's desk.
"The social contract, Admiral, is not ink on paper. It is breath shared between the governed and those who govern. It is fragile - not because it is weak, but because it is sacred. And sacred things are easily defiled.”
Lincoln then carefully sat down in the modern chair, worried he'd fall out of it.
“You swore an oath - not to a man, but to a document. That parchment is fragile, but its spirit is not. It does not bend to ambition. Nor, yield to fear.”
Lincoln then sighed as he pulled at his beard.
“During the war between the states, I saw that fragility firsthand. Brothers turned rifles on brothers. Governors defied the Union. And I, sworn to preserve it, had to stretch the Constitution to its very edge."
But, then Lincoln looked unsettled.
"I did not do so lightly. I did so to keep the promise alive.”
"I understand," the Admiral nodded empatheticly, "Our command is never easy."
"But now I see troops being sent not to preserve the Union, but to suppress its voice."
Lincoln looked angry.
"I see orders given that defy law, and soldiers who will not be paid for their patriotic sacrifices. This is not governance. That is exploitation.”
The admiral shifted, uneasy.
"We stand NOT upon a battlefield of blood, but upon a crossroads of conscience, Admiral."
Lincoln stared unflinchingly.
"The federal government was not forged to dominate cities with boots and rifles. It was conceived to safeguard liberty, to mediate justice, and to ensure that no voice is drowned beneath one man's power."
The Admiral smiled. This was Lincoln alright.
"The Constitution is not a weapon - it is a covenant. And when the executive wields force against the governed, not in defense but in assertion, we must ask: has the republic forgotten itself?"
Lincoln looked the Admiral straight in the eye.
"If unrest brews in the streets, let us not answer with suppression, but with understanding. If fear spreads, let us not deploy soldiers, but summon truth. The role of the federal government is not to impose order - it is to cultivate peace."
Lincoln leaned back in his chair.
"When you are asked to enforce tyranny without a thought, your troops are no longer defenders of liberty. They are pawns in a game that has forgotten its rules.”
Lincoln turned, eyes heavy with saddness, to pick up his hat.
"You must decide, Admiral. Whether to obey, or whether to remember. My time has come and gone, and I already had to make my choice."
Lincoln got up, and put on his hat.
"Obedience is a shield for the powerfully corrupt. The Constitution is a shield for the just."
Lincoln then turned around as his cape swung behind him - and suddenly vanished.
"History proves that silence is surrender, and we do not surrender. Even in moments of exhaustion, even when facing the threats of uncertainty, the only way forward is acts of courage and compassion, to push back, for something better."
"Generations before us have fought, struggled, and sacrificed for the right to be free. Now, It is our turn."
"We are staring at a future on the edge of collapse. Not because of inevitability, but because of corruption, authoritarianism, and the failure of leadership."
"Momentum has been lost to the darkness. Our moment is being weakened by a hesitation that we may trip along the path."
"The fight for democracy has never been clean, and it has never been easy. Some of us will not make it. That is the price we pay to ensure the best aspects of our peoples continue into the future."
"Let us not falter. Let us not forget. We are stewards to the promise of democracy, and not its spectators."
"Though the path ahead may be steep and shadowed, we climb not for ourselves alone, but for every voice that dares to speak."
"Every soul that refuses to kneel."
"And every person that still believes even the smallest act of courage can echo in the fight for dignity, for truth, and freedom."
"These are not just battles of policy, but of principle. And, I would be greatly troubled if it was all for naught."
“Optimism is the belief that things are going to get better. Hope is the belief that we can make things better. Optimism is a passive virtue, hope is an active one. It takes no courage to be an optimist, but it does need courage to hope.” - Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
Keep hope alive by continuing to act, write and speak out. We do what we can with what we have.
Thank you for reading, Al. And thank you for that wonderful quote.
Frankly I just try to live one minute at a time. Because none of us know what the future holds. As far as our political future it makes me feel insane. Congratulations on the new baby. Take care ✌🏻
I share your faith in what this country is capable of becoming, and I agree that better times are ahead. Even if they may be hard to see.
Just clinch tight to those precious moments until we get there!
Thank you, Sam!
Congratulations on being a mom and having another on the way! It's a fleeting moment in time so enjoy every aspect of it that you can! The time that we are in is a dreadful one to get through, no doubt. I have been following Heather Cox Richardson and she writes about a lot of historical accounts that are eerily similar in ways to things that are happening today. Some things long ago, some things not so long ago, but the good news is that the people of the time somehow got through them. So, it's doable! The most promising thing I've been hearing is that it takes just 3.5% of a population to resist a tyrannical takeover. So, I'm really hoping to see that 3.5% plus in full force on October 18 No Kings Day!!!
Thank you, Celena! I believe in that 3.5%!!!! I think we have more. Thank you also for reading!
needed your comment of hope today!!!! Thank you!!
Thank you for reading, Joyce!
This is an honest piece. It's hard to imagine bringing a baby into this country, this world, just now. However, as I've written about many times, our systems (political, economic, media, ecological) were failing before the 2024 election. I believe if we can fight for and hold onto democracy the next couple years we'll have opportunity for deep systems-level and cultural change. By the way hallelujah anyway! is a form of opposition. Enjoy and in joy.
Love this! Thank you for reading, Cylvia. I'll hallelujah anyway with you!
I hope you find joy in your life and can put our current political environment aside. You have a mission for your family that takes precedence to all else. We are somewhat stymied until midterms anyway. You should know that is when the battle begins in earnest. In the meantime all of our flag officers in the military have been given instructions from the Commander in Chief on how to negotiate stairs. Further, the Secretary of War gave them instructions on how to shave. I mean. I feel safer knowing our civilian leaders have not a clue as to what they should be doing. Talk about stumblebums. They had weeks to prepare. Unbelievable.
Thank you for reading, Carl!
Hope is NOT a plan! You must be prepared to FIGHT for that land you grew up taking for granted. You MUST NOT hope things will get better. You must help make that so!
Thank you for reading, Debbie. That last sentence could have gone in a different order, but for me, the work follows the hope and inspiration. So glad you believe in fighting for justice too!
Thanks for writing this!
Thank you for reading, Scott!
The admiral leaned forward. “Sir, I don’t know what you are. A vision? A warning? But I’ll listen.”
Lincoln nodded. “I am not here to haunt.”
He gestured toward the window, where helicopters danced like insects and planes were catapulting from the carrier's runway.
"A remarkable sight. I could not imagine a small city on the sea. And, you say this is a ship?"
Lincoln turned around and then placed his vintage stove pipe hat on top of the admiral's desk.
"The social contract, Admiral, is not ink on paper. It is breath shared between the governed and those who govern. It is fragile - not because it is weak, but because it is sacred. And sacred things are easily defiled.”
Lincoln then carefully sat down in the modern chair, worried he'd fall out of it.
“You swore an oath - not to a man, but to a document. That parchment is fragile, but its spirit is not. It does not bend to ambition. Nor, yield to fear.”
Lincoln then sighed as he pulled at his beard.
“During the war between the states, I saw that fragility firsthand. Brothers turned rifles on brothers. Governors defied the Union. And I, sworn to preserve it, had to stretch the Constitution to its very edge."
But, then Lincoln looked unsettled.
"I did not do so lightly. I did so to keep the promise alive.”
"I understand," the Admiral nodded empatheticly, "Our command is never easy."
"But now I see troops being sent not to preserve the Union, but to suppress its voice."
Lincoln looked angry.
"I see orders given that defy law, and soldiers who will not be paid for their patriotic sacrifices. This is not governance. That is exploitation.”
The admiral shifted, uneasy.
"We stand NOT upon a battlefield of blood, but upon a crossroads of conscience, Admiral."
Lincoln stared unflinchingly.
"The federal government was not forged to dominate cities with boots and rifles. It was conceived to safeguard liberty, to mediate justice, and to ensure that no voice is drowned beneath one man's power."
The Admiral smiled. This was Lincoln alright.
"The Constitution is not a weapon - it is a covenant. And when the executive wields force against the governed, not in defense but in assertion, we must ask: has the republic forgotten itself?"
Lincoln looked the Admiral straight in the eye.
"If unrest brews in the streets, let us not answer with suppression, but with understanding. If fear spreads, let us not deploy soldiers, but summon truth. The role of the federal government is not to impose order - it is to cultivate peace."
Lincoln leaned back in his chair.
"When you are asked to enforce tyranny without a thought, your troops are no longer defenders of liberty. They are pawns in a game that has forgotten its rules.”
Lincoln turned, eyes heavy with saddness, to pick up his hat.
"You must decide, Admiral. Whether to obey, or whether to remember. My time has come and gone, and I already had to make my choice."
Lincoln got up, and put on his hat.
"Obedience is a shield for the powerfully corrupt. The Constitution is a shield for the just."
Lincoln then turned around as his cape swung behind him - and suddenly vanished.
Lincoln once said...
"History proves that silence is surrender, and we do not surrender. Even in moments of exhaustion, even when facing the threats of uncertainty, the only way forward is acts of courage and compassion, to push back, for something better."
"Generations before us have fought, struggled, and sacrificed for the right to be free. Now, It is our turn."
"We are staring at a future on the edge of collapse. Not because of inevitability, but because of corruption, authoritarianism, and the failure of leadership."
"Momentum has been lost to the darkness. Our moment is being weakened by a hesitation that we may trip along the path."
"The fight for democracy has never been clean, and it has never been easy. Some of us will not make it. That is the price we pay to ensure the best aspects of our peoples continue into the future."
"Let us not falter. Let us not forget. We are stewards to the promise of democracy, and not its spectators."
"Though the path ahead may be steep and shadowed, we climb not for ourselves alone, but for every voice that dares to speak."
"Every soul that refuses to kneel."
"And every person that still believes even the smallest act of courage can echo in the fight for dignity, for truth, and freedom."
"These are not just battles of policy, but of principle. And, I would be greatly troubled if it was all for naught."
Congratulations to you and your husband on your beautiful family. Sounds like you have come a long way in a short period of time.
You're not alone in your fears and worries. We have to try to keep the faith that all the corrupt people in charge now will be brought to justice.
In the meantime, you two keep on being the best parents you can be, and good luck to you and your husband with your second child.