DMB Digest: Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies;
And such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.
About six years ago, quite by accident, I started the tradition of listening to a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence with my family this time of year. It’s a remarkable document/speech. And I have to admit (sadly) I was surprised by its content and by how relevant I found it to be for our current political climate. I don’t say this in a partisan way. I’m sure whatever your political bent, it is easy to replace King George III with your version of the bogeyman. Finger pointing at bogeymen is not my interest with this missive.
Instead, I would like to express my thoughts on revolution and how societal characteristics these days have led to us being really sucky at it. That’s right. I said it. We suck at civil disobedience too.
The most simplified and yet obscure manner in which I can think to put it is that as a collective people we protest too many things too little.
I suppose this is two separate complaints. First, we protest too many things. Institutional reform takes time. It takes energy and passion. Usually it takes dedicated lifetimes to reform a single cause. Apartheid. Civil Rights. You get the idea.
My second complaint is connected to the first. Because of our lack of focus and lack of longevity, we don’t protest the important things long enough. Americans today seem to think a three-month-long movement should be sufficient to move the needle. And if it doesn’t, most of them shrug it off until the next trending outrage comes along.
Perhaps I’m being a bit too cynical. It wouldn’t be the first time. Of course the most recent example of a sweeping American protest movement has been the “No Kings” movement. It’s catchy, right? Libertarian or liberal liberal or anywhere in between, none of us wants an imperial or totalitarian character upon the dais of our democracy. And yet, the Executive Branch of our government has been gobbling up powers both from the left and the right pretty much ever since George Washington refused to become our next king. Certainly every president we’ve had during my adult life has inappropriately seized authority on multiple occasions. And the vast majority of us have shrugged our shoulders.
What’s a little snacking on the constitution here and there? We like our presidents strong and assertive. Power hungry even. What could possibly go wrong?
All of this to say, pick a cause and stick with it until institutional change has stuck. If freedom of speech is your thing, stick with it. Don’t let both parties continue to wipe their hairy behinds with the first amendment. If Habeas Corpus is your primary red flag for when an aggressive presidency has crossed over into a totalitarian regime then illuminate that red flag every time it flies (not just when your enemies do it). If, in your opinion, human trafficking is the number one global indicator of the sickly condition of the human soul, then make sure that soul sickness is first and foremost until the human race is made well.
If you haven’t said it, you’ve heard the expression said, “Freedom isn’t free.” Most commonly this is made in reference to military service. And that’s a perfectly cromulent usage of the phrase. But it should apply for protesting and civil disobedience as well. Apathy and ignorance are the fastest ways to pave a highway to totalitarianism. Make no mistake, as a people we are surrendering our rights on a regular basis for a few primary reasons (all of them stemming from fear). Most people these days seem totally fine with surrendering these freedoms as long as their party of choice is the one gobbling them up and crapping them out as mildly-offensive nuggets of oppression. (This may come as a shock to some of you, but switching from one party to the other and back again does nothing to solve the problem.)
We seem to have forgotten: Kings have no partisanship. In the end, the only loyalty that matters is loyalty to them.
If You Wish to Start Reading The Green Ones…
[Click here to start at the beginning.]
Thanks so much for taking the time to read these scenes of Boundaries, Season 2 of The Green Ones. I’ll be publishing FREE daily scenes from The Green Ones until…I die…or something terrible happens. Seriously, I’ve got over 100 scenes written so far, and I’ll be writing more until the story reaches its natural ending. You are totally welcome to read the entire story for FREE! If at any point you decide you would rather finish the story in ebook or print format, just click the buttons below and you can do that as well. If you enjoy reading the serial releases, BUT you would also like to support me as a writer (my kids need wine!) please subscribe to my premium content for bonus scenes, exclusives, and insider access to my process. And of course, I’d be grateful if you would share this post with any of your reader friends who you think would enjoy The Green Ones. Happy reading!