Back from a wee (and not altogether planned?!) break! Hopefully I will let you know about new things on the horizon for me soon, but I’m still here, and looking forward to getting back in the groove on this newsletter.
Substack has also been rolling out some new features lately, so I will highlight those over the next couple of weeks too.
Meanwhile, lots has been happening.
The Nashville shooting of six people (three children) in a school, the #TennesseeThree, bank collapses, thousands in danger ad fleeing in the sudden Sudan war, unethical behavior from Supreme Court justices, a big thumbs up for gerrymandering from the North Carolina judiciary, the US on the brink of debt default, and of course ongoing fighting in Ukraine.
And that’s just a US-centric snapshot of a few things I can recall at the moment.
And yet…
Spring has also arrived in the Northern Hemisphere. The leaves are now alllllmost fully out here in the foothills of the Smokies, and showy spring migrants are appearing at the bird feeder. It’s hard to feel gloomy about the state of the world when dogwoods are blooming, baby ducks are trooping along behind mama, the smell of freshly mown grass wafts over the backyard, and the roses start to show off again.
We are once again on the brink of warm evenings and cool drinks.
More than even this seasonal mood-boost though, I actually sense a shift in the public sentiment in America.
For example, although the behavior of the Tennessee House in kicking out the two young black members of the Tennessee Three is reprehensible, I think it did the opposite of what they hoped. Young people in Tennessee have become galvanized. They are protesting. If the Tennessee legislature has any sense at all, they had better pay attention. These young people will be shiny new voters in a year or two or three. And they’ve had it with the status quo.
And I am also sensing that the ‘moderate middle’ is tired of this sort of blatant power-mongering, and is looking for alternatives. There are new groups starting to emerge. Check out, for example, The Liminal Plan. Not yet fully launched, but getting lots of traction.
The shenanigans and hypocrisy of bad actors like Fox News is also being exposed and then punished, and calls for an ethics code for the Supreme Court are bipartisan.
At some point, and perhaps that point is now, those who spew mock outrage in the laziest possible effort to whip up fear-based support, will be shown to be simply hollow and mean. The majority of good people - which is to say, the majority of people - will cease to put up with their shouting and frantic grabbing of power or money (or both), and will turn back to each other and choose representatives who believe in serving the people. Not everywhere, but in enough places to turn the tide.
I already sense this happening. It’s my belief that now is the time to support this shift, everywhere and in every way we can.
Just as spring will give way to the fullness of summer, we too might just be emerging into wholeness again.
I hope.
In any case, I’m choosing to lean into the potential we see all around us, and lend a helping hand where I can.
Happy May y’all.
Comments open to all.