I've been in somewhat of a holding pattern. Wondering what is going to happen next. Trying to stay focused on liberty and freedom instead of the presidential election cycle we find ourselves in. As I look at the issues surrounding this election - and the corruption being uncovered within Hollywood and the pharmaceutical industry, it is difficult to remain focused on the big picture.
I know both sides are accusing the other side of the same thing. I know the division and hate are growing. I know my message seemingly remains the same amidst all of it. And as we wait for next Tuesday to be over and done with, it is as though we are just standing by.
After Helene devastated western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, I compared the locals' response to that of their own governments. And then there was the outpouring of help and resources from Elon Musk (StarLink) and from fellow Americans - including my own community here in Central Florida. We are not just standing by.
Comparisons were also made to the Lahaina fire in Hawaii last year - and the seeming lack of response from the governments (local and national) - and even how civilian groups and help were rebuffed and forbidden from the area.
I don't want to latch on to any one theory, but I do think the attitude of Thomas Paine is worth noting during this "holding pattern" season leading up to what could be some very significant months as we finish up 2024.
In 1774, the Boston Harbor Act was passed by British Parliament, which (among other things) authorized the Royal Navy to blockade Boston Harbor, closing down all commercial traffic in and out of the port.
In Thomas Paine's Common Sense, he made the argument that if the Royal Crown could deprive Massachusetts (the only colony at the time that actually held its own charter - a charter NOT held by the King NOR by parliament) - from receiving goods by blocking the primary port into the colony, they could do anything to any of the other colonies. Such an attack on one colony (the most independent of them all) was seen as a warning for the other colonies. The result Britain was hoping for (that the rest of the colonies would fall in line) was not the one they got.
The response of the Continental Congress, whose representatives and their respective colonies decided to supply Massachusetts in defiance of the Crown by bringing supplies to the besieged colony over land to circumvent the blockade (a much more difficult and time consuming endeavor), instilled an American tradition, or one might even say planted and nurtured a culture, of Americans helping out fellow Americans. This is a culture we are familiar with even after more than 200 years.
We experienced it after 9/11 at a national scale – but this culture of aid from the pockets and livelihood and time of Americans can be seen after every disaster around the world, Americans are there donating time, efforts, and resources. And yes, we see this culture of helping one’s neighbor in Florida all the time during hurricane season. The most memorable year for me is 2004. Four hurricanes in six weeks. That was 20 years ago.
But the other side of Thomas Paine's Common Sense argument is that if the government can intentionally punish its own citizens - and get away with it - even against the most independent citizen, whether that be Donald J. Trump, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Elon Musk, or even Eric Adams, should one be paying attention, they can do it to any one of us. (This is also evidenced in the disparate treatment of simple trespass violations on January 6, 2021 versus the "mostly peaceful protests" during the summer of 2020).
So, what should the rest of us who are not currently under siege be doing, not just to ensure our own individual rights and liberties remain free from the grasp of those who would attack them, but to help out those already under siege?
Do we allow the salvos to go unanswered? How can Americans demonstrate solidarity while those who would rule over us have done everything in their power to divide us?
Society is falling apart. What can we do to try to weave it back together? And is the relevance of the book I wrote about this very topic diminishing as we wait out this holding pattern season? Or is its relevance growing as we watch the Unraveling play out in real time?
Check out these two interviews with YESfm's Positive Chats Podcast. (One is from August, the other from today):
Commentaires