Theresa, unedited
One thing I am learning in my 56 years on this planet (good gawd, how did I get this old? I was just 20 yesterday!) is that *gasp* not everyone likes what I have to say. So, because of this, I tend to edit myself on topics about which I am passionate. Here’s a short list of those topics. I didn’t hold back:
We need to consume less. We are destroying the planet by our consumerism. Quit buying shit you don’t need. And I’m talking Dollar Store doo-dads to senior day at GoodWill, on up to 5,000 square foot McMansions. Our discontent is cultivated by media and we are told to buy more, more, more. It is by design – compliments of neuroscience driven marketing. Put down the Sharper Image catalog and pay attention.
Every human being deserves to have safe housing, clean water and food to eat. We are out of minds by the Covid deaths – what about the THOUSANDS that die every day from hunger and lack of clean water? From food deserts in American cities to the profound poverty on the American Indian Reservations to other countries around the world. And don’t even think about quoting that “if a man doesn’t work, he shouldn’t eat” Bible verse or I will get up out of this chair and slap the shit out of you. Where is your compassion?
Housing costs are obscene and the whole industry that drives up the cost is a racket. I’m watching my kids trying to get established and it fucking pisses me off. The whole system is rigged against them. Profit driven corporations are monopolizing the rental markets, enslaving tenants to fees and leases that only the well-heeled can afford. And you seniors – yeah, you too. Those concierge retirement apartment complexes that are springing up all over – yeah, I’m talking to you. Those people fetching your newspapers and giving you sunny greetings at the lobby front desk are getting paid $12/hour and struggling to make ends meet while you pay exorbitant fees for a lifestyle “you deserve.” You are a tool. We are all tools. We are a fucking Home Depot full of tools.
Addiction is driven by trauma. No one wakes up and says “I want to be an addict!” There’s a reason behind their self-destructive behavior and those suffering from addiction need treatment not incarceration. These suffering people are nothing more than a cog in the profit formula for for-profit prisons. BTW- The socially acceptable addiction to busyness and stress is a whole nudder matter.
Racism. It’s real. Before you white folks get your panties in a wad over this, I would just ask you to consider how many people of color do you have in your world? And if so, have you heard THEIR stories?
Toxic religion is one of the worst things on the planet. It is more deadly than the Berkley Pit in Butte, Montana. And that my friends, is fucking toxic. If your religion is turning you into an intolerant asshole fixated on behavior modification – please hear my words. Healthy religion is expansive, inclusive and KIND.
No one, but NO ONE, needs to have billions of dollars while working families can’t stay afloat in this economy. I’m talking to you, Jeff Bezos. How do you sleep at night knowing people are working in inhumane conditions in your fulfillment centers? Call me a socialist but I call bullshit.
And while I’m on that topic, NO ONE is a “self-made” man/woman. Slave owners from yesteryear would proclaim they were self-made. Are you kidding me? But since I’m living now, I will point out my disconnect in modern terms. You had teachers teach you. You had a healthy body. You were mentally strong because you weren’t stressed out of your mind from day to day wondering if there would be food to eat or if you could walk to school without being shot by a random drive-by shooting. And even if you are ridiculously rich by your “work ethic” I would suspect a history of trauma that would compel you to work with such obsession. (And I am sorry that you’re not able to slow down enough to enjoy your family and that you are, statistically speaking, at a high risk for a serious health issues, sooner than later.)
Health care should not be something only the wealthy can afford – but yet it is. And if you’re not seeing how this is reality in America right now, you are part of the problem. BTW- I had an appendectomy a few years ago. The bill was over $425,000. I was in the hospital for less than 24 hours. If didn’t have insurance, I likely would have died because I was concerned more about paying a hospital bill than I was, hell, DYING from a ruptured appendix. This is reality for far too many people – they don’t get needed health care because of the financial impact. This is fucked up on so many levels, words fail me. I’m including dental care in this category as well. A broken tooth should not require a 48-month financing plan. And by the way don’t EVEN get me started on the quality of mental health care available – if it can even be accessed – for low-income folks who need it the most.
And finally: WE ARE ONE. We really are. This isn’t New Age woo-woo. Until we realize that your struggles are my struggles and my struggles are your struggles, we will continue to harm one another. We are more alike than different. (Unless you’re a sociopath or malignant narcissist but I’m not talking to you.) We are all driven by a need for connection and a need to love and be loved.
My list can go on and on. I may have even pissed you off with a few of these topics. But here’s the beautiful thing – I’m not talking to you. Unless of course, you are interested in respectful discourse. We seem to have lost that ability lately. And that is so very sad.
I’m not trying to persuade those who hold different ideas, though that would be lovely. But I want to talk to those of you who share similar values and encourage you. You are not alone.
Let’s talk. Let’s connect and see if we can’t make this world a little better. Let’s see if we can’t unite our voices and effect the change we long to see in this world. Drop me a comment on FB or LinkedIn.
