The only constant is change. Seasons change, people change, the world changes. But the world isn't changing fast enough. People need to pay attention. Our economic system is a mess. Look around. Really listen to what people are saying and then try telling me everything is fine. Everything is not fine. An education shouldn't set you so far behind. Life should not revolve around debt. There are so few good jobs out there. We are so far from where we should be. We were all promised if we worked hard we could have it all. And we were lied to.
And it doesn't end with the economic mess that we are in. Our whole world is a mess. Economics, politics, socially, we are a mess. Prejudice and discrimination run rampant. Misogyny and sexism are part of everyday life. Ableism is such a part of life that it is barely even acknowledged. Privilege allows people to ignore the problems around them. Homophobia is still very much alive and well. Racism is everywhere. I expected better than this.
It is supposed to be better. We sit around and promise kids that it gets better. Gay and trans kids are still taking their own lives. People have made some efforts, but it isn't enough. The whole world needs to change and it needs to happen faster. It is so much better than it used to be. But still not good enough. We should be better than this. We should all know better. We can't afford to be afraid of changing. We have to be willing to make changes in our lives to be better, to make a better world.
We need to stop destroying our planet. We need to stop destroying each other. We need to change the way we live. We need to be better. It is not enough to mean well. We need to do it. I don't have all the answers. I can't tell anyone how we can go about making this better. But we all have to try. After all, this is it. This life, this is what we have. It is up to us what we do with it and I think it is worth the effort. I think it is worth changing. I think it is worth trying.
We are all connected. Loneliness hurts deep inside, but we really are connected, no matter how isolated we may feel. We have the technology to really be able to connect, but we so often waste it. I know I do. And I think a certain amount of unimportant entertainment is just fine. I also believe that we should devote a little bit of time to educating ourselves in some way. Whether it is reading about politics, checking news headlines, reading about feminism or gay rights or fighting racism, or anything that might help in some way. Education is pretty damn important. And I don't just say that as a daughter of a teacher. It is pretty crucial for someone hoping to make a difference in some way. It helps to be taken seriously when you enter into the debate.
That section above is from a draft post I had written in 2011. Don't let anyone tell you these issues are new. Or that they weren't aware. Maybe they weren't, but it was pretty damn clear if you were paying attention. Maybe the Poli Sci/ Human Rights degree helped me see it clearer, but I could dig up some old high school journals that would show that none of this is new.
That could be depressing. That we are not getting these fast enough. The world needs to change. It can't change fast enough. And we are fighting an uphill battle. I stand by my own words from 9 years ago. These is some comfort in knowing that with the millions of things that have changed externally, some things are just part of who I am. Because this fight is worth it. So educate yourself. Read things that challenge you, that make you think. Fiction, non-fiction, articles (fact-checked ones).
I know it seems like facts don't matter anymore. Like they are grinding us down with lack of logic, screaming "fake news", calling us snowflakes if we point out anything harmful. It is exhausting, but I will not be exhausted into submission. Don't let the bastards grind you down.
So, what do we do? One problem I see is that like a lot of other tough battles, this one doesn't have a clearly defined end point. It's not a case of "if we do x, then we win." It's a process. It will be long, it will take work, and we will have to change the way we live. We will have to change the way we treat ourselves and the way we treat each other. Honestly, the disaster that is 2020 should provide us with the opportunity to really talk about how to build a different, better future. I am afraid we might squander it due to all the distractions, but I think we have to try to see this through.
We shouldn't have to choose between economic security and saving lives. We should not prioritize professional sports over frontline workers. Education, healthcare, housing, food security, quality of life - these things matter. And not just for some people.
Maybe I'm a hippie idealist lefty. I actually don't consider any of those to be insults at all. Maybe I am all of those things. But that doesn't mean I am wrong.
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