Lying awake under that new moon eclipse last night, I got to thinking. (~moi~? I know, right?) So many of us have moved to counter.social this past week, clearly seeking something we weren't, or were no longer, getting from Twitter. We're looking for answers; we're looking for hope, we're looking for a future that is manifestly better than the stupidest timeline we seem to be stuck in.
The w00 crowd - of which I am at least partially one - may find it Significant that this is happening just as we experience a New Moon Solar Eclipse (it happened the afternoon of Apr 30th) in Taurus. All about those new beginnings, but the beginning of long-term change. And even if you don't put much or any stock in such things, you'd probably agree we are more than ready for some positive changes to manifest.
On the political front, we've been looking in vain to our elected leaders. Yes, the Biden presidency inherited a huge mess and is having to handle problems it neither created nor controls (inflation, supply chain etc). And yes, our margin is too slim, whittled too far by several who seemed only too happy to sell progress out for their own craven ends. This has left many of us feeling frustrated and helpless. We see critical issues on every side that require action NOW - but we're met with lackluster responses that don't really feel like they address these concerns.
What seems clear to me is that we can no longer look to our leaders to save us. We can't sit back waiting for someone to step in front who we can follow to a brighter future. For whatever reason, they are either unwilling or unable to provide the kind of leadership the moment seems to require. So where does that leave us?
To my mind, this means our options have narrowed. If no one is going to ride to our rescue - which is really an old-fashioned, paternalistic concept when you think about it - we are going to have to rescue ourselves. If we want a better, fairer, more equitable and sustainable society, we're the ones who have to manifest it.
And to borrow a phrase, I suspect that if we build it, they will come. Too many of our political 'leaders' live in fear of being perceived as too far left, when most of the country supports the policies they don't have the courage to enact (because the other side might say Mean Things about them, and then they might lose some votes, boo hoo!) But if they feel the pressure all of us could bring to bear, they might be more willing to take the sort of bold steps we so desperately need.*
So here is the challenge I'm putting forward: Let's play Pretend. First, let's pretend we *already* live in the world we wish for. What would it look like? How would it function? What would be different from where we are now? Once you have this vision, write it down. Compose a toot, write a blog post, put it in your journal - maybe it's only a few sentences, maybe it will turn into a book. The length doesn't matter, but bringing it out of the back of your mind and out where it can be shared, does.
Now that you have this idea, pull out a couple basic descriptions and post them over on counter.social (I guess Twitter too, but it'll be harder to sustain, there). #thefutureliberalswant is kind of a clunky hashtag, so I'm definitely open to a better one! But let's get something where we can easily share our vision with each other (#visionforthefuture ? I guess that's just as long) - and then share it.
While those ideas are starting to circulate around, the next step is to figure out what would have to change for this vision to become real. Yes, I get that 'Republicans need to go away' might solve our problems, but we don't really have the power to make that happen. Instead, let's look for the kinds of changes that can be made.
Let's say, affordable/accessible child care is part of your vision. What are some ways we can make that happen - can we form babysitting co-ops? Who might be able to provide this service, where could it happen, what would be exchanged for it? DON'T let money or lack of limit your vision. If you can't see a way past 'if we only had money, we could...', think about why you don't have that money, how it could be gotten - and most importantly, what can be done in the meantime.
And just like with the future visions, let's get on here and start exchanging those ideas. Because what you see as a roadblock may be a problem someone else knows just how to solve. Instead of waiting for the government to provide these things for us, let's pretend we live in a world where they don't exist. How would we make them happen? How can we start working on them NOW?
I'd like to see people sharing their #goodideas. What's something you and your group of friends are already doing, or something that you could start doing pretty easily? Tell us about it! And if you see an idea that inspires you, take it home and try it out - they're free, after all!
One of the coolest things about the CoSo Firehose is that you can jump in and jump back out - everyone's voice carries equal weight. If you see a #goodidea or a #futurevision go by, maybe see what they have to say. Start a list, follow that tag. And let's start building that better society we want and deserve to have. I look forward to seeing what we can build - together!
*definitely NOT looking to pile on President Biden, here. He's actually done much better than I expected him to - but I was looking for a president like him twenty-some years ago. I wish we were further along by now.
