I haven't written a blog post for months....
One of the BIG reasons I haven't written since October is what happened in November, AND my own personal angst over the election results. I don't presume to think everyone reading this will agree with my politics, and I have family members and friends who sit squarely on the other side, but nevertheless I do want to share that it has all been rather upsetting and to tell you why, just in case that is a mystery to you. I believe in respectful dialogue and want to have this conversation.
Below is a list of my top concerns, and some of the reasons I have decided that I must become more politically active:
One of the BIG reasons I haven't written since October is what happened in November, AND my own personal angst over the election results. I don't presume to think everyone reading this will agree with my politics, and I have family members and friends who sit squarely on the other side, but nevertheless I do want to share that it has all been rather upsetting and to tell you why, just in case that is a mystery to you. I believe in respectful dialogue and want to have this conversation.
Below is a list of my top concerns, and some of the reasons I have decided that I must become more politically active:
- I have a close family member with a pre-existing condition who requires medication, and I worry that the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare will be repealed and she will become uninsurable.
- I worry about the constant beating up of our free press and the pervasiveness of un-truths that are told from the highest office in the land, not to mention a twitter feed that is embarrassing.
- I worry about the temperament of the man who holds the controls to our nuclear arsenal and the potential for war. And I worry he will make decisions about what is good for his pocket rather than what is good for our country.
- I worry that with the roll back of the EPA, and loss of long term government support to try and reverse climate change, our world will not be a hospitable place for my (not even yet conceived) future grandchildren.
- I feel wretched about the loud anti-Muslim sentiments I hear. I believe that this rhetoric actually fuels terrorism instead of stopping it. And, I very much believe that our country was founded on immigrant hopes and dreams and that this is not who we are.
I'm also participating in a lot of online conversations, calling and writing my representatives, and just generally trying to keep the conversation alive with other people. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by all the news coming at us all the time so I'm also making a real effort to only read and quote reliable sources and to limit my screen time to avoid burnout.
One of the things that is MOST heartbreaking to me is how polarized our country has become and how difficult it seems to be to disagree with each other. One of my goals in writing this piece is to let people express their feelings. I want to hear from everybody! What are your hopes and fears?
Moving forward I hope to keep the dialogue going and one of the ways I'll be doing that is through a little #craftivism project that has sprung up on Instagram. Follow @hideahatandfightback to learn more. Below is one of her fabulous little finds and my own take on it with my 'Why?'.
One of the things that is MOST heartbreaking to me is how polarized our country has become and how difficult it seems to be to disagree with each other. One of my goals in writing this piece is to let people express their feelings. I want to hear from everybody! What are your hopes and fears?
Moving forward I hope to keep the dialogue going and one of the ways I'll be doing that is through a little #craftivism project that has sprung up on Instagram. Follow @hideahatandfightback to learn more. Below is one of her fabulous little finds and my own take on it with my 'Why?'.
And, I expect to get back to blogging on a regular basis now. Some of these posts will be political and some of them won't. Some of my art may be political and some of it won't. My primary goal in artmaking is always to inspire and I think one of the ways artists can help the movement is to keep positive messages in front of others. My most recent take on this is below "What the World Needs Now" and you are most welcome to download and share this image in any way you would like to!
click here for jpg
click here for jpg
I hope you'll come back to see what I get up to and please do share your thoughts below. Let's start TALKING to each other respectfully and with care.
GO!
GO!
RSS Feed
