Grave Disservice

Well, our nation has committed a great disservice to the world. Once again we have been blinded by privilege, power, and money. I for one am angry, shocked, and disappointed. Not only have we re-elected someone with a history of harming the world, but in many places we have made it unconstitutional to marry the person you love.

As much as this hurts, we can’t wallow in these feelings. Remember that change is not made by people who sleep. As the amazing group Sweet Honey in the Rock sings, "We who believe in freedom cannot rest". We have a lot of work to do.

As your heart is angry today remember that "the only thing necessary for the perpetuation of evil is for good people to do nothing" (Jane Elliot). We cannot "sell-out" and relax in complacency. Yes, the easy thing is to relax and ignore the evils and harsh realities of life on this planet. The easy thing is to go to work, come home, watch TV, and not challenge ourselves. I for one pledge never to resign myself to accepting the system, and I ask you to join me.

We can use our voices.
We can use our actions.
We can use our pens.
We can use our purchasing power.
We have so many skills, we need to put them to use.

We need to work in communications and end this media domination by the right. We need to work in education and teach our children to think critically. We need to work in law and public policy. We need to work in marketing and sell social justice. Two weeks ago I was at a Baltimore Ravens football game. Over 60,000 people were willing to fight for a group of people to get a ball across a line. We need to tap into this energy. We need to use our talents, whatever they are, to fix this system.

It is time to reorganize and remobilize ourselves. Progressive peoples are lacking in real leadership these days. We cannot let this fact prevent us from tackling injustice and ignorance wherever we face it.

Let this election be a reminder to you of the importance of your role in the world. Together we can change so much.

"It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act." Tenzin Gyatso (14th Dalai Lama), 1999