Thank you for writing this Jessica. If all that has happened in the last 6 weeks or so were occurring only in a dystopian novel, I think people would say it was too extreme to be believable, that no one in the US today could cause so much harm to erupt so quickly in such a vast number of areas (areas of government and areas in the country and the world). And that so many other elected officials would readily comply. Thank you again for leading by example.
Thank you, Kathleen! And I agree. I wrote a dystopian story right after the election to help quell my anger, but haven't done any revision on it yet. All I know is that it's no longer extreme enough and reads too much like reality. (And I'd thought I was really going all-in extreme when I wrote the first draft!)
Oh my goodness, YES to all of this. Thank you, Jessica. As you know, I left FB after the election, as I was hurt by (friends who were) naysayers, and because I felt that my posts were futile. But you remind me that words DO matter, that silence IS complicity. I will bear this in mind as I continue to write.
Yes, I miss you on FB, but completely understand why you left. I continue to enjoy your Simply Soul Searching posts, too--our voices DO matter, even if there are people who say they don't. They matter more than ever now, too, because it's not always safe for everyone to speak out.
I am snapping so hard, my fingers are blistering. Thank you for your courage and for using your words to speak out. The pen (keyboard) is mightier than the sword! Of course, I personally feel particularly grateful for your words about Iowa (🏳️⚧️). I couldn't agree more that silence is complicity, and silence is sometimes even violence. What's happening isn't just a matter of political difference. It's a matter of human rights violations en masse. Thank you again for your clear words of conviction!!! ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
Jessica, I completely agree, and honor your courage in speaking out. I pretty much want to hide under the bed to just not even know because of what it all does to the pit of my stomach, to realize just how utterly crude the environment of all this really is.
I subscribed to Third Act (Bill McKibben) because I saw the organization recommended on Climate Reality (Al Gore) and because they offer seamless ways to express ourselves to our elected representatives, as well as convenient channels to write op-eds (and not just about climate issues) to newspapers of our choice. I'm waiting for my new "extra" SIM card for an older phone, since newspapers require a phone number to legitimate letters to the editor, and I don't want to use a phone number that I can't track where new barnacles came from.) In any case, it helps channel my rage, which I absolutely share. Not to mention shame and disgust. It is hard, hard, hard. But I don't intend to let them ruin my life on a daily basis. These channels make me fee less frustrated.
Thank you! It's definitely hard to find a good outlet for the outrage and frustration. I also understand that it's not safe for everybody to speak out. It's hard, in general, to know what to do in these times.
Thank you for writing this Jessica. If all that has happened in the last 6 weeks or so were occurring only in a dystopian novel, I think people would say it was too extreme to be believable, that no one in the US today could cause so much harm to erupt so quickly in such a vast number of areas (areas of government and areas in the country and the world). And that so many other elected officials would readily comply. Thank you again for leading by example.
Thank you, Kathleen! And I agree. I wrote a dystopian story right after the election to help quell my anger, but haven't done any revision on it yet. All I know is that it's no longer extreme enough and reads too much like reality. (And I'd thought I was really going all-in extreme when I wrote the first draft!)
:-(
Oh my goodness, YES to all of this. Thank you, Jessica. As you know, I left FB after the election, as I was hurt by (friends who were) naysayers, and because I felt that my posts were futile. But you remind me that words DO matter, that silence IS complicity. I will bear this in mind as I continue to write.
Yes, I miss you on FB, but completely understand why you left. I continue to enjoy your Simply Soul Searching posts, too--our voices DO matter, even if there are people who say they don't. They matter more than ever now, too, because it's not always safe for everyone to speak out.
I am snapping so hard, my fingers are blistering. Thank you for your courage and for using your words to speak out. The pen (keyboard) is mightier than the sword! Of course, I personally feel particularly grateful for your words about Iowa (🏳️⚧️). I couldn't agree more that silence is complicity, and silence is sometimes even violence. What's happening isn't just a matter of political difference. It's a matter of human rights violations en masse. Thank you again for your clear words of conviction!!! ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
Thank you, Keith! I feel like words are the best I can offer right now, so I'm very glad that they hit the right spots.
Jessica, I completely agree, and honor your courage in speaking out. I pretty much want to hide under the bed to just not even know because of what it all does to the pit of my stomach, to realize just how utterly crude the environment of all this really is.
I subscribed to Third Act (Bill McKibben) because I saw the organization recommended on Climate Reality (Al Gore) and because they offer seamless ways to express ourselves to our elected representatives, as well as convenient channels to write op-eds (and not just about climate issues) to newspapers of our choice. I'm waiting for my new "extra" SIM card for an older phone, since newspapers require a phone number to legitimate letters to the editor, and I don't want to use a phone number that I can't track where new barnacles came from.) In any case, it helps channel my rage, which I absolutely share. Not to mention shame and disgust. It is hard, hard, hard. But I don't intend to let them ruin my life on a daily basis. These channels make me fee less frustrated.
Thank you! It's definitely hard to find a good outlet for the outrage and frustration. I also understand that it's not safe for everybody to speak out. It's hard, in general, to know what to do in these times.
Silence is scary at this point. Truly. Thanks for posting this. Feeling exactly the same.
It's soooo scary.