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"We draw our strength from the very despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure." -- Cesar Chavez
A co-worker in grass roots social-political activism visited me tonight. She is a dedicated art teacher at an area high school; that school has gone from one of the best in central New York, and great place to work, to one where budget cuts and a new superintendent have taken a severe toll. The teachers union -- as well as those representing clerical staff and principals -- seem incapable of protecting the employees' rights. Fear has saturated the school environment, and the students are being denied the quality of education that they deserve.
I find systems fascinating. In social work, I tended to take a family systems approach. In social activism, I lean towards community systems. In things political, one must have a grasp of bureaucratic systems. Workplaces, especially in the corporate and/or government contexts, are also systems that have some general dynamics that employees and unions benefit from recognizing.
When a once healthy, well-functioning system rapidly transforms into an unhealthy, dysfunctional cluster, there tend to be a few variables at play. For example, if on a local level, republicans have taken control of political offices, and conservative economic cuts from the next higher level (state) are taking place, local government services will suffer. This includes everything from public health services to public education.
More, the synergism from multi-level conservative-republican entities creates an ethical vacuum, where economic hit-persons are hired to reduce staff and services offered. This can, by definition, not be accomplished with the intent of maintaining a positive work atmosphere quite the opposite, it requires the planting of doubt, and the growth of anxiety and unhappiness among employees.
In order to atrophy any possible resistance to the new program, the new boss must create divisions among employees. In his 1973 classic, The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness, Erich Fromm describes how a boss with sociopathic personality traits seemingly required for economic hit-persons will manipulate those who work for them. This generally includes promoting a weak person who, while having some knowledge of the system, can be counted upon to treat others cruelly. Such a person must be obedient to rules, and have an under-developed sense of ethics.
Together, the boss and their side-kick will seek to destroy morale in the workplace. They will, for example, threaten to institute new rules that make the workplace toxic, in response to problems that involve a single individual. They will attempt to get rid of any individuals who may challenge their authority. And they will eliminate positions in an arbitrary manner, to increase the doubts and discomforts of the rest of the workforce.
Lying is their language, and deceit their tongue. Such a boss lacks the moral capacity to admit even the smallest of mistakes although they attempt to manipulate by admitting they were wrong to trust so-and-so. They have an uncanny ability to view themselves as the victims whenever they are challenged on their sick behaviors.
The goal is to destroy any and all sense of community inside of the system, and to reduce it to Durkheims apathetic, disorganized dust of individuals. These individuals are encouraged to look out for number one, and discouraged from attempting to unite with others to promote common interests. The individual may initially resist the changes being made by the new boss; next, they will attempt to avoid being damaged by the changes; then, they begin to accommodate the changes in the workplace; soon, they accept the new reality; and soon, they become part of the system that is robbing them, and all around them, of their humanity and self-respect.
Who can do battle with this beast? When one considers its true nature, the scope can seem overwhelming: for this system has spread like a virus throughout our culture. There are fewer and fewer uncontaminated segments in the United States today. Unchecked, as the US becomes part of a feudal estate on a global scale, where the 1% lives in gated communities while dictating how many crumbs will be divided up among the peasant class, it threatens to become entrenched, beyond repair.
Quality public education is the enemy of this beast, for its primary goal is to teach citizenship in a democratic state. Private schools for the offspring of the 1% will perpetuate the ruling classs ability to capitalize on the mis-educated masses. Local levels of government will increasingly be under the thumbs of the Koch brothers and their ilk. Public services will be reduced to the point where they serve to dull the senses of the tax-payers, like prescription drugs that numb the pain of having their very being stolen from them.
We see the effects already. People complain, in order to let off steam; yet complaining alone accomplishes nothing in terms of correcting injustice. Sub-groups of depressed people will gather together on weekends, and seek temporary relief from the meaninglessness of their lives by distracting themselves with bright lights, loud music, and group intoxication. They do not recognize that this is part of that system that has stolen control of their lives. Indeed, it is much easier to control a merry group of drunken fools, than a single sober individual unwilling to accept the loss of self-respect.
Unconscious people can only serve as cogs in the machine. But a single conscious person can wake others up. That conscious individual can help others to understand that the hero and the coward both feel the same fear; that while the coward is consumed and thus destroyed by this fear, the hero uses it to fuel their struggle. And that the same amount of fuel, or energy, is required to become empowered, as is required to surrender ones power to the system.
The roads to surrender and defeat are easy to locate. They are all around us. The paths to lives worth living seem harder to identify. Yet we have examples, which include individuals such as Gandhi, King, and Chavez. More, and equally important, we have the examples of the larger, often nameless groups of people who joined their struggles. In every case, we find that the leader (for lack of better description) recognized that in order to do more, they had to become more. This does not translate into these individuals becoming more of the same thing, by adding more of the same qualities they already have. Rather, it is becoming more by internal evolution, by transforming themselves.
By transforming themselves, they spark a transformation within that group around them. The group begins to wake up to a higher level of consciousness. While there is no one size fits all solution to the problems individual groups are confronted with, an awake and aware group will always be able to identify options that are available to them options that they were not able to see in their previous level of being. Also, they find the confidence required to attempt to actualize these options. They develop the faith in their ability to exercise control over their own lives.
When people access this potential within themselves, they no longer expect leaders to do for them that which only they can do for themselves. They no longer project the ability to save or protect themselves on some external being or force; instead, they become part of, and one with, that force. They learn to trust in the process, because they are an influential part of it.
Peace,
H2O Man
Recently, there was an OP/thread on DU:GD regarding self-kicks. Are they pathetic attempts at self-promotion?
Possibly.
In this instance, I note 9 recommends, but no responses. I hope the 9 recommends are evidence that the OP focuses on a topic of some interest. If nothing else, the topic is one that I find interesting and of value.
Thus, please be patient with this pathetic attempt to promote the OP. And excuse me, while I kiss the sky ......
G_j
(40,366 posts)Sometimes things move quickly and get lost. When you have put time and energy into writing a compelling essay such as this, I think you should kick it.
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)I think it is of interest and value as a topic for discussion. The levels of fear in our society handcuff an increasing number of good and decent people. I've been on the phone this morning with a couple of people in elected office in a neighboring community; they are dealing with many of the same issues discussed in the OP. Both are going to do the right thing, for they are ethical public servants. But both are dealing with anxiety. For reasons good or bad, they both look to me as a sounding board, and to reinforce their dedication to standing up for those they were elected to represent.
G_j
(40,366 posts)the fuel with which we move ourselves away from the atrophy of fear and towards all that is noble and good. Everyone of us is powerful and capable of far more than we usually believe. This message is so important right now.
Minister Malcolm X used to ask audiences: "Who taught you to hate yourself?" A variation of that might be to question who taught us to doubt and de-value ourselves? It is our enemy, and the system.
The victims of the enemy and the system are the very people most capable of transforming society, and instituting social justice. The elite and the "leaders" who are acceptable to them could not do this, even if they wanted to. And they don't.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)Clear on the other side, on the left coast, I have heard similar musings from local electeds who for some reason do that as well.
This is both local and national.
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)when this forum reaches low points, there is generally a community of good and decent people here -- many on this thread -- who are still invested in discussing important concepts and issues. A couple of DU:GD sub-groups can, at times, engage in annoying attempts to disrupt, as you well know. But it still provides that sounding board.
And it definitely is a local-to-national issue. And it spans time. Many good people too often expect immediate results from the work we invest today. That is part of our "instant" culture, I think. Some of us are from other, often older cultures. I learned long ago that what work I do in my lifetime may not result in significant changes that I live to see. But that doesn't lessen or negate the importance of that work. It builds a foundation for the next people who will be fighting the Good Fight, because it is the right thing to do.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)I come from one that where you care about the children and the children, children.
Of course mine also has passport, money and traveling gear ready to go at a moment's notice. We also come from much older civilizations. Again, I do understand exactly what you are saying.
We are also, quite possibly, having a maturity vs youth issue.
Peace my friend, it is going to get really rough.
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)that you and I have very similar values and views. I'm glad that, from opposite ides of the country, we are on the same team!
Thanks for all that you bring to this forum. You are most appreciated.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)on DU H2OMan. I just discovered this OP searching for something even worth reading. Thank you for providing something that makes sticking around here, worthwhile.
Helping this along, imho, is the constant messaging we get, now even on Democratic Forums: 'We can't do this or that, iow, don't even try or you are 'looking for a Liberal Messiah' or some such nonsense. Talking points designed to UNINSPIRE rather than inspire are pretty rampant especially during election years.
I prefer 'Aim for the sky and you may hit a tree' as inspiration rather than the one we see dragged out each election cycle: Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good' which translates to 'all you can expect is mediocre at best' iow, keep your expectations low.
Thanks again for the OP.
G_j
(40,366 posts)convince us to settle for the allotted crumbs. The times they are a changing..
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)That means a lot to me, coming from you! I am always very impressed when I read your contributions here on DU. You are definitely one of the individuals who raises the bar here. So, again, thank you.
Muhammad Ali used to say that people who don't expect miracles are unrealistic. I believe that. Rubin Carter told me that miracles do happen -- they just take a dog-gone lot of hard work! I believe that, too.
When grass roots activists say that they expect major changes, and are told to be patient, I can only laugh. It's the grass roots that does the overwhelming amount of the dog-gone lot of hard work that is required to win elections. And the Truth is that it's high time that everyone get a lot more impatient. We do not have the luxury of taking that old-fashioned slow approach to the many serious problems we face. We need to take immediate action on a program of change.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)Yes, I couldn't agree more. And yes again to the 'it's the grassroots that does the overwhelming amount of the dog-gone lot of hard work that is required to win elections'. And yet it is they who are constantly under attack for 'wanting ponies, expecting elected officials to wave a magic wand' etc. among a whole host of other negative talking points'. Makes you wonder what the goal is sometimes, perhaps the goal IS to depress enthusiasm for change because it certainly isn't a good strategy for getting out the vote.
I like what Rubin Carter said to you and agree. Never give up, even if it takes way more time than we would like.
Thank you for your kind remarks, they mean a lot to ME coming from you!
ismnotwasm
(41,921 posts)H2O Man
(73,333 posts)I appreciate that.
spanone
(135,636 posts)k&r.....
hunter
(38,264 posts)and add a recommendation.
Avalux
(35,015 posts)without expecting a leader to show them the way....what a world we would have. We would cooperate instead of compete.
Great Post. Cesar Chavez's birthday was a big deal here in San Antonio.
You hit the nail on the head.
Chavez's birthday was a big deal in my isolated home, too! My youngest daughter (11th grade) and I had a long talk about what he gave to this country. Although I am old, I still look at him as a hero.
BumRushDaShow
(127,312 posts)And more specifically, the bolded part -
It goes to what talk host Joe Madison says almost daily - "What are YOU going to do about it?"
I think sometimes it scares folks because "doing" can bring a high level of risk. Madison routinely asks "What's the difference between a 'moment' and a 'movement?'" And the answer - "The "movement requires sacrifice".
However doing nothing is to continue the oppressive conditions.
So whether joining one of the protests being formed today, calling a congressperson to voice disapproval and encourage reform, or helping to get someone to the polls on an election day (I heard the turnout in the D.C. primary yesterday was only 22.5% or so), folks can do "something", and that in itself brings a sense of having at least made an effort that may ultimately pay off in the long term.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)the negative messages 'you want ponies, liberal messiahs' etc and just keep working to get the BEST we can get rather than accept the advice inherent in those depressing messages that we must set our standards as low as possible. THAT is what that sentence says to me.
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)I worked in a factory. It was part of the defense industry, and the plant made a heck of a profit. However, for no good reason, the supervision would institute "rules" that -- at best -- treated the workers like itty-bitty school children. These measures degraded the workers, and reduced them to non-thinking cogs in the machine.
I've never had a problem with rules per say, so long as they are intended to improve some aspect of daily life. But I haven't been willing to accept mistreatment. So, when groups of workers would initially complain about some new rule or another, I'd ask what they were prepared to do about it? Generally nothing, of course.
That complaining was part of the process that leads directly to acceptance, and then to becoming part of that abusive system. More, it leads to a curious dynamic: people who accept degradation will reach a point where they become hostile if anyone treats them with respect. At some level, they are aware that they have lost all self-respect, and resent it if anyone reminds them of that.
chervilant
(8,267 posts)That complaining was part of the process that leads directly to acceptance, and then to becoming part of that abusive system. More, it leads to a curious dynamic: people who accept degradation will reach a point where they become hostile if anyone treats them with respect. At some level, they are aware that they have lost all self-respect, and resent it if anyone reminds them of that.
I'm reminded of Hofstadter's essays on anti-intellectualism, and the paranoid right. Perhaps the inner conflict you so eloquently describe is the key to understanding those individuals who've become the silently hostile cogs in our nation's corrupt political machine.
Octafish
(55,745 posts)Working together, we can do anything. It's called Democracy.
and we will
"This power in us is the same as the mighty strength which God used when he raised Christ from death."
-- Ephesians 1:19-20
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)It is happening. I know the system is breaking down when I am told to vote green and leave.
Textbook of Durkheim actually.
SalviaBlue
(2,910 posts)H2O Man
(73,333 posts)JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)"Unconscious people can only serve as cogs in the machine. But a single conscious person can wake others up"
Love it.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)on a regular basis not to expect much and to aim as low as possible, that is what creates 'unconscious people' who do nothing to advance causes that are beneficial to society as a whole, to accept the status quo because it's 'hopeless to look for 'ponies' or whatever other talking points are thrown around in attempts to keep people from striving for what IS possible IF they do not become 'unconscious robots, accepting of whatever is thrown at them.
Such people have never changed things for the better.
'The squeaky wheel gets the oil' so we'll just keep on squeaking regardless of the attempts to stop those who aim higher rather than lower.
marions ghost
(19,841 posts)sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)support and join them.
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)it was a topic that Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and I discussed at length. This was at a time when Rubin had cut off communication with all but a couple people; more, he was spending a lot of time in solitary confinement. While that was a terrible period for him in many ways, it was an essential part of his journey. And there are many features of a prison that can be recognized in other institutions. That sounds harsh, but I believe it is true.
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)Last edited Thu Apr 3, 2014, 07:24 AM - Edit history (2)
A short time ago, I read a thread that was started with no doubt good intentions, but the respondents on that thread would have none of it, and instead piled on the OP with mocking reminders of a past post by that DUer - presented as "proof", apparently, of why that DUer's new OP had no integrity. It was ugly and nasty and sickening. And the OP, reacting in anger, was quite quickly locked out of his thread.
It was like watching a chicken being turned on by his fellow chickens who set about to gleefully peck the so-marked member of the flock into a bloody mass. All I could think of was why would I ever want to hang around a place like this? A place of no compassion, a place where bullying and one-upsmanship appears to be the highest value for far too many. I was thinking that I've really had my fill of the current incarnation of DU. It's useless, brutish, and a waste of time.
And then, like a ray of right, yours is the next OP I see - and I will always, of course, click on an H2O Man post without fail.
I have always believed that the enlightenment of one person has the power to send ripples out into the world, so that the enlightenment spreads and catches on in others' consciousnesses. Still, I must admit, these days DU disheartens me almost beyond bearing. There are so many EGOS in evidence here - so many people who only want to BE right, not to DO right.
You wrote a wonderful post, and I appreciate it more than I can find words for. I only wish that DU were not such a stony ground, upon which no mustard seed has a chance of germinating...
(edited due to late-caught typo)
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)I know if I came here for the first time now, I would be appalled seeing the nastiness, the lack of compassion, as you so correctly stated, for human beings.
'A place where bullying and ones-upmanship appears to be the highest value for far too many'. Yes, mindless personal attacks on good Democrats, so many of the people who made this site worth coming to, HAVE moved on. And I and many others are ready to do the same. Like you I saw H20Man's post and knew it would be worth reading.
This OP should have, and would have had in the old DU that I first came to, over 500 recs. And it would have had so many good people not already moved on.
Great post scarletwoman, expressing what many DUers are feeling right now.
malaise
(267,823 posts)BelgianMadCow
(5,379 posts)yes
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)that you found it! You are one of the best minds on this forum, and I have great respect for you. So I am delighted that you enjoyed my essay.
I've been spending more hours out at my pond & lodge recently. While I do not have internet service out there, the OP is something that I found myself thinking about, after my associate had been here. It's a pleasant place to sit and think, and the night sky was so beautiful.
Thank you!
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)You bring us all a precious opportunity to sit with you beside your pond, with you in your lodge. It is a priceless gift you bring us.
It is a mad culture that surrounds us - how few there are who find any serenity or beauty in their lives.
To live as a fully conscious human being - there is no greater gift to oneself, and to all with whom we share this world.
Thank you again for your exquisite OP.
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)so nice of you to say! Thank you!
I had started an essay on things I was thinking about while taking a walk along a frozen creek bed, collecting rocks for ceremony; instead, I wrote the OP, which was on a related, yet very different topic.
It's funny: I've sent links to some of my DU essays to my associate before. While she enjoys what I write, she has commented that it is a waste of time to post on this forum, because so few DUers take note of them. I think that this OP/thread suggests that at least part of the time, people are paying attention to my posts. (And quite a few public school teachers have been introduced to DU in the past few days, as this OP/thread has reached teachers throughout NYS.)
It seems to me that the topic I wrote about is something that a good many of this forum's participants find themselves dealing with. I attended a public meeting last night in one of the small villages that dot rural, upstate New York. There were about 75 citizens attending the meeting. A number of people were expressing outrage at the behaviors of the "leader" of this government institution. I listened quietly for most of the meeting, and then spoke about how the group dynamics not only allowed unethical behaviors, but created a process where these things had to happen. And I think, based upon the responses -- both during the meeting and in casual conversations after it ended -- that people understood.
Systems are a fascinating topic. Often, when viewing a given situation, viewing it in a "systems analysis" doesn't create an awareness of new things, so much as creates a context where the already known parts fit together in a more orderly fashion. And without that understanding, groups of good people find themselves in the same basic conflict and struggle, over and over again.
markpkessinger
(8,381 posts). . . On a day in which the news of the Supreme Court's latest outrage had left me feeling depressed and hopeless, your essay reminds me that I cannot simply roll over, that I must -- difficult though it is at times like this -- pick myself up and keep fighting. And for that, I offer you a very heartfelt 'thank you.'
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)We are in a tough fight, and the conservative majority on the USSC is clearly a lap dog for our enemy.
I went to the grocery store the other day. What should have taken me a half-hour to get ended up taking more than three times that. A large number of people who I know casually, at best, wanted to talk to me about their frustrations with "government," from the local level, up through the state and federal government. Most of these people were old -- my age -- and a common comment was, "This isn't the country that we grew up in." And it's not. Yet what we have today is surely a direct consequence of what happened when we were growing up.
TheKentuckian
(24,949 posts)H2O Man
(73,333 posts)And yes, I am putting together a mental outline of what I want to say next. But first, I'm going to try to answer everyone who has been so kind to respond to this OP.
I will give you a preview: Last week, I contacted our state's Democratic Party HQ, and informed them of my decision to run this year, against the highest-ranking state senator from the republican party.
TheKentuckian
(24,949 posts)Little_Wing
(417 posts)I'm sorry to have missed this earlier today. Thank you, H20 Man for articulating so clearly our path forward.
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)"Little Wing" is one of my favorite Hendrix songs. The school teacher I mentioned in the OP plays in an acoustic group with my oldest daughter, and they do a mighty fine version of that song. I think it's important to re-charge our batteries, by listening to music, taking walks in nature, and/or reading things that we connect with on a conscious level.
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)Because the best way to fight evil is to make energetic progress in the good.
Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)H2O Man
(73,333 posts)I love the response the OP has gotten!
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)WillyT
(72,631 posts)H2O Man
(73,333 posts)petronius
(26,580 posts)H2O Man
(73,333 posts)octoberlib
(14,971 posts)H2O Man
(73,333 posts)bullwinkle428
(20,627 posts)kick a post that I've recommended, but I couldn't let that opportunity go by on this particular OP. The passage relating to "The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness" was especially poignant to me, having been on the receiving end of that kind of treatment in the workplace.
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)Excellent read.
Great leaders don't effect change directly so much as they inspire and bring out the best in others.
I can't say it nearly as clearly as you, but I can't help but be reminded of Buckminster Fuller and his "trim tab" quote:
We all have a little Trim Tab in us.
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)Thank you so much for posting this! I had not heard that one before, not being very well-read in his works.
I met him once (back in the Stone Age when I was a college student) just briefly, in the seating area at an airport gate. I recognized him at once, but I was completely tongue-tied and my mind went totally blank. I simply shook his hand, said something entirely inane about admiring him, and finally turned away because I was so embarrassed that I couldn't think of anything pithy and intellectual to say.
He, of course, was totally gracious and sweet toward the young idiot that I was. For years afterward I wished I had had the sense to open a conversation with a simple question of where he was off to, and then sat down and listened for awhile.
Ah well...
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)Had I met him, I'd probably have been as tongue tied as you.
A rare genius, and fairly modest I'm led to believe.
I love the trim tab analogy, it's about having a significant impact with a minimal effort and very low profile, quite in contrast to many pundits of today!
Elegant, is what it is!
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)Very inspiring! And elegant, as you said.
He did seem very modest and kind - and quite patient with a young hippie girl who couldn't think of anything sensible to say. I too wish I had been able to attend one of his presentations.
Mojorabbit
(16,020 posts)BelgianMadCow
(5,379 posts)now is the time, and we are the ones.
Peace, H2Oman
G_j
(40,366 posts)Last edited Thu Apr 3, 2014, 08:37 AM - Edit history (1)
is an act of love, a gift.
Let us try to remember that, in principle, compassion and love are the true values of a "liberal".
After all, we want to make sure that nobody falls through the cracks. We want everyone to have enough to eat, shelter, health care,
education, respect. We want to settle differences without violence. We want to protect the environment and preserve the beauty of the natural world for our children and future generations. At the risk of sounding simple minded, it is all about love.
malaise
(267,823 posts)Thanks Waterman!!
BelgianMadCow
(5,379 posts)hey malaise!
malaise
(267,823 posts)Hi there BelgianMadcow
Ichingcarpenter
(36,988 posts)You cannot bring the light to the darkness you must bring the darkness to the light.
If we truly love life, the world we live in and want positive change, then this also implies to look at the issues and injustices in the world so many of us like to ignore or deny. This is not being negative, but the work to be done during this Time of Transition
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.
- Martin Luther King Jr.
marions ghost
(19,841 posts)the social/psychological factors in the emergence of a pervasive dysfunctional system.
I don't think enough people understand the dynamic at work--how the disease of narcissism, greed and self interest takes hold as a widespread phenomenon, infecting just about every institution and workplace. You explain that very well.
adirondacker
(2,921 posts)vanlassie
(5,637 posts)"Unconscious people can only serve as cogs in the machine. But a single conscious person can wake others up. That conscious individual can help others to understand that the hero and the coward both feel the same fear; that while the coward is consumed and thus destroyed by this fear, the hero uses it to fuel their struggle. And that the same amount of fuel, or energy, is required to become empowered, as is required to surrender ones power to the system."
H2O Man, I literally woke this AM to your inspiring words and I commit to taking one concrete action each day, to do more than simply feel better from this essay.
MrScorpio
(73,626 posts)Simply excellent.
marions ghost
(19,841 posts)We have to believe. Here's something for inspiration for the awake and aware--from Burlington VT, March22
stage left
(2,934 posts)Even though it might not be what it was before I started lurking here three years ago, Democratic Underground has been a huge part of my belated political awakening. Especially posts like this one of yours, H2O Man. Thanks. I've always heard that it's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)when I first signed up. 2004 was when I first discovered DU. It was like a long drink of water in the desert back then. Not so much anymore, but there are still a few people like H2OMan who post occasionally making it worth while to hang on for a while longer.
Lizzie Poppet
(10,164 posts)Very good post!
stage left
(2,934 posts)because this is the kind of post that deserves it.
vanlassie
(5,637 posts)AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)Anger is an enerfy.
May the road rise with you.
go west young man
(4,856 posts)and understanding of our fellow human beings. Peace.
llmart
(15,501 posts)A wonderful, thought provoking read - very articulate and inspirational, and H2O Man didn't even have to use the "F" word to garner attention to the post.
Thank you for this, H2O Man.