Oh Murie! I hear you! It's so hard to feel okay these days - always new injustices being thrown at the ordinary people. I will persevere in fighting the injustices and I will look for all the ways to love.
I lived most of my adult life in places where people were actually killed because of politics. Whatever is happening in this country now doesn’t remotely compare with what I have had to survive. My advice? Don’t let politics live in your head rent free. Political pendulums always swing from side to side, but unfortunately, our lives are finite. There are very few political hills worth dying on. Enjoy this moment, this very moment. It’s all we have.
I certainly agree that, for most of us here, the situation is much milder compared to those violent locations around the world. The issue for me is how cruel , irresponsible (in terms of health but also the future of the panet), and greedy the current administration is. Their behviors are not in the best interests of citizens. Sure, at this moment, most people who were born here can live their life w/o fearing guns and troops storming their homes. So, I am someone who chooses to care about the future so I march and I write emails and sometimes even send money.
I get the pendulum swing. I just don’t want to see it knock lives out with its reckless moment.
I am striving to be attentive to the moment, to be aware of what is going on around me, to be the light for people in my world (as much as I be). On the side, I do put energy into stopping this inhumane madness. My challenge is to stay balanced.
Thanks for reading and responding so thoughtfully.
On the plus side, the current regime is defunding a lot of powerful interests by defunding agencies that were corrupted. I spent nearly 25 years seeing up close the incompetence and corruption of government programs. Any agency that can’t be properly audited is unaccountable and corrupt by definition, and many programs aren’t auditable.
Most of what government agencies do is to act as procurement bureaus. For instance, the government doesn’t “do” foreign aid. It makes agreements and writes checks to NGOs, UN agencies, and governments. Much of it is very opaque and difficult to monitor.
There is a movement toward e-government in a few countries, including one Baltic country. The idea is that all government services and expenditures can be monitored and accessed online and in realtime. Corruption thrives in secrecy and obsfucation. Openness is the best disinfectant.
I hope this doesn’t sound partisan, because I’m not. I just know that if my business, personal accounting, and tax payments were as lax as the government’s, I be in prison for tax evasion and fraud.
Yes, of course there is a great deal of waste and corruption in government programs. However slashing to the bone so many programs, leaving people w/o jobs and leaving HUGE holes in science/research/educational /health care / arts/ feed the hungry / agricultural programs - this is NOT the way to do it. Yes, investigate all those expenses but do it well and not recklessly. But I don't think the current administration really cares about doing things well. I think the rich want to get richer on the backs of the poor (and middle class) and that is what is being promoted .
I love the idea of a program where services and expenditures can be monitored - yes, secrecy just makes things worse - let's get a program set THAT way and not just killing necessary social / educational / scientific /etc programs
Oh Graciewilde,
You are just where I am. Some days I am so angry that we allow this disgusting group to run us into the ground…,
Then I am so tired and depressed I can barely stop crying. I try and find hope… I try to stay curious, I try to figure out where to center myself.
Thank goodness for our writing companions! You help so much. Thank you.
Oh Murie! I hear you! It's so hard to feel okay these days - always new injustices being thrown at the ordinary people. I will persevere in fighting the injustices and I will look for all the ways to love.
Gray is my new favorite color anyway!
In my perspective, it all comes back to "what can I change?" And that's just me.
Pretty much, eh? If I can't change it, I have to ride it out. Thanks for joining the conversation, Dave.
Thanks for this post, Gracie. I echo your sentiment.
I lived most of my adult life in places where people were actually killed because of politics. Whatever is happening in this country now doesn’t remotely compare with what I have had to survive. My advice? Don’t let politics live in your head rent free. Political pendulums always swing from side to side, but unfortunately, our lives are finite. There are very few political hills worth dying on. Enjoy this moment, this very moment. It’s all we have.
I certainly agree that, for most of us here, the situation is much milder compared to those violent locations around the world. The issue for me is how cruel , irresponsible (in terms of health but also the future of the panet), and greedy the current administration is. Their behviors are not in the best interests of citizens. Sure, at this moment, most people who were born here can live their life w/o fearing guns and troops storming their homes. So, I am someone who chooses to care about the future so I march and I write emails and sometimes even send money.
I get the pendulum swing. I just don’t want to see it knock lives out with its reckless moment.
I am striving to be attentive to the moment, to be aware of what is going on around me, to be the light for people in my world (as much as I be). On the side, I do put energy into stopping this inhumane madness. My challenge is to stay balanced.
Thanks for reading and responding so thoughtfully.
On the plus side, the current regime is defunding a lot of powerful interests by defunding agencies that were corrupted. I spent nearly 25 years seeing up close the incompetence and corruption of government programs. Any agency that can’t be properly audited is unaccountable and corrupt by definition, and many programs aren’t auditable.
Most of what government agencies do is to act as procurement bureaus. For instance, the government doesn’t “do” foreign aid. It makes agreements and writes checks to NGOs, UN agencies, and governments. Much of it is very opaque and difficult to monitor.
There is a movement toward e-government in a few countries, including one Baltic country. The idea is that all government services and expenditures can be monitored and accessed online and in realtime. Corruption thrives in secrecy and obsfucation. Openness is the best disinfectant.
I hope this doesn’t sound partisan, because I’m not. I just know that if my business, personal accounting, and tax payments were as lax as the government’s, I be in prison for tax evasion and fraud.
Yes, of course there is a great deal of waste and corruption in government programs. However slashing to the bone so many programs, leaving people w/o jobs and leaving HUGE holes in science/research/educational /health care / arts/ feed the hungry / agricultural programs - this is NOT the way to do it. Yes, investigate all those expenses but do it well and not recklessly. But I don't think the current administration really cares about doing things well. I think the rich want to get richer on the backs of the poor (and middle class) and that is what is being promoted .
I love the idea of a program where services and expenditures can be monitored - yes, secrecy just makes things worse - let's get a program set THAT way and not just killing necessary social / educational / scientific /etc programs
Thank you. I needed your words & Rumi’s words today.
I'm glad they mattered for you. Thank you for reading and responding.