We never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete. – Buckminster Fuller
How many new Independents will the current political climate generate?
I’m asking this question because I think the answer is the beginning of a new political movement that’s about the priorities of people over power. Whether you’re a former Democrat or Republican, we’re all starting to see that polarization based in hate and fear causes more destruction than it prevents.
For most of my life, I’ve been a registered Independent. I became a U.S. citizen when I turned 18, because I believed in the words of the Founding Fathers and my civic duty to contribute to my Democratic liberty. Liberty I might add, was one of the cornerstone values of the Founding Fathers: the opportunity to live in a society that made it possible for the kind of internal growth that leads to self-governance based on a moral compass driven ultimately by love of self and other.
I believed in the power of their words because I knew in my heart that human beings have the capacity to shine brightly and collaborate completely. We really do want to share and celebrate the miracle and joy of life together. And it’s okay to get that deep, to love that much…we don’t need to fear anymore, because it clearly doesn’t serve us!
So, about all that destruction. I see rising awareness and I’m heartened.
Crazy right?! Instead of seeing all this insanity leading to all kinds of horrors and injustice, of which I’m completely aware and appalled by, I see people really questioning what they value and how much is too much? I see a collective awakening that literally makes me rejoice on a daily basis.
We’re talking more. We’re talking with more depth. We’ve started to ask each other more and more what we believe and what we need? We’re engaging our democratic process – to which most had grown apathetic – by making sure that public servants act like they work for us and not the other way around.
Still, we’re nowhere near where we need to be when executive orders can still undermine what the majority needs and has demanded through public outcry. There is still a disconnection between the people, and the people in power. So enough of us who identify with this partisan, two-party political system, will have to jump ship and start to merge into a new party (or parties) that gets back to the Founding Fathers’ ideals about the value of dissention and dialogue regardless of whether you lean left or right.
The value of a shared process to enact governance that prioritizes that we’re all created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights…
The greatest step we can take in our democracy now, is to participate in a way where we collaborate on a large scale. What could be more invigorating than starting something completely new based on shared values of respect, dignity, and basic human rights for all?
