I’ve felt my fair share of righteous anger lately, and plenty of dismay, but today I’m sad. Incredibly sad. Was it the video of Kristi Noem looking cute and wearing a $30,000+ Rolex standing in front of caged humans that caused me to feel this way? Was it the video of masked men in plain clothes detaining Tufts University Ph.D. student Rumeysa Ozturk, even though she’d done nothing wrong? Is it the fact that the things that make life a little better for the citizens of this country are being made out to be handouts and a waste of money? Is it that decisions that impact the lives of working people are being made by a billionaire who cares not one iota about our well-being? Is it that the earth itself is seen as just a resource to be used for building wealth, with no consideration for the living beings who will inhabit this planet far into the future?
I realize that my personal sadness could go two different ways. I could wallow in it, shake my head and wish for better days, or I can try to put it to use somehow and be a part of the solution to the problem of the cruelty that’s being perpetuated in the name of making our country great.
But here’s the simple truth. Nothing great comes from cruelty. Nothing great comes from destroying the ecosystems that life depends on. Nothing great comes from causing others to suffer. Nothing great comes from scapegoating. Nothing great comes from a platform that’s been built on lies. Nothing great comes from pretending that this country hasn’t inflicted great harm both within and beyond our borders. And nothing great will ever come from valuing money and power over all else.
If being great means being oppressive, if it means having no regard for peoples’ ability to have a good life, if it means forgetting what it means to be good, then I don’t want any part of it.
Lofty Minded in Alaska 
Dear Teresa,First, thank you for your clarity of thought expressed regarding fel
Teresa, I am so grateful for your words. I tend to go scorched earth and fire away. Your voice is much more reasoned but equally passionate. I concur with your sense of sadness. I came home today and went for a “rage walk,” after hearing about the impending reality of German conscription, which directly impacts my family. And while I know this is my privilege talking, the fact is, it didn’t have to come to this. If the orange toad hadn’t aligned with the Soviet Union, if he hadn’t betrayed NATO and Ukraine, we might be seeing the Russian invasion turned back and Ukraine liberated from Putin. Thanks to all my family and the evil Evangelicals who made this possible.
We just cannot give up. Everything you say is written so well. Your words have impact. Please send your 2d to last paragraph to our congressional delegates. While I believe Lisa Murkowski agrees and is there, Sullivan and Begich have lost their Way. History repeats over and over. That’s why the boogeyman word “woke” is being bandied about. They do not want people to be educated about history so they can play the same game again.
In difficult times, we must allow our spirit and our voice to confront injustice, however one may personally define it. We must rage against the machine, whether buoyed by our brethren with hands locked in solidarity, or standing alone against the tempest. For the benefit of our hearts, our souls, our minds (and our nerves), we must remind ourselves this is but a battle. Nay, in the long history of humankind, this is barely a skirmish.We must think deeply to keep our inner peace, as our outer shell raises shield and sword, shoulders bent, into the fray.The longest perspective must be taken, to keep hope and faith alive and burning within us. History is replete with infamous antagonists. Some are men who can be called by name. Genghis Kahn, Attila the Hun, Vlad the Impaler, Adolf Hitler. Some are nations, sometimes allied with others, sharing a worldview of imperialistic domination. Some are that most heartbreaking and heinous of groups of warped individuals, blind with bigotry and rage, bent on excommunication of the undesirable, execution if necessary. Nazis, white supremists, the ancient Romans that banished the Jews into the desert, the biblical king that killed newborn males to exterminate a messiah, the misguided vanquishment of indigenous peoples across the globe. Only by raising these things to the light can we convey to our deepest selves that this time is fleeting, transitory, not even a single second on the great cosmic clock. Also by witnessing the power of good, love, joy, human kindness, compassion, dignity, perseverance, courage, commitment, devotion and dedication that overcame all such things.For across this same tarnished history of our occupation of this planet are scattered the greatest examples of human potential. The oldest of governments and tribal histories demonstrating a penchant for equanimity, equality, and democracy, leadership for the good of all, and every man a voice in it. The armies of multiple nations allied and resolute, facing down the scourges of our world, united in their steadfastness. The prophets and healers that brought light to darkness and hope for the suffering. Gandhi, Jesus, Mother Teresa, Moses, Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Between global events we have built great libraries, discovered incredible things in the world of science, eradicated diseases that literally plagued humankind throughout history.
Some may misinterpret my voice as one of the politic, or perhaps driven by personal financial gain. I have no control over another’s opinion. I do, however, have complete control of my own.
And a voice as old as history.
Oh Teresa, This is exactly what I want to say every time I write to our legislators. You’ve summed it up perfectly… I wish I had your way with words❣️Kate