A lot of people across the globe and on both sides of the aisle are very upset about America’s poorly planned and executed military withdrawal from Afghanistan last week. Every day the news gets worse and the pictures get more horrific. The United States, which has been a world leader thanks, in part, to our fabric of diversity, has been especially divided for the past 6 plus years…but Afghanistan has united us.
I’ve watched complaints and social media accusations from friends, family pundits and opinionators who point fingers, blame, opine, and complain, be it about this or an endless list of grievances about all aspects of life. Similarly, we all receive chain emails from people ranting about the enemy of the day, trying to gather support for the shared rage against “him”…”her”…”them”…”it.” It doesn’t matter the topic of the devil, the message is still the same: Be upset.. be outraged…be frustrated and join me (the sender) in my rage.
Thanks for your email. Great post. Yes!! You’ve got me. I agree!! Now what? So what? It’s just noise.
What are you going to do about it?
I worked extremely hard for decades trying to get the Bottom Line message of taking personal responsibility and being well-informed out to the world. Our information has always been about action… not just the headline, but what can you do about something in your life? How can you have the information you need to make informed decisions in your life… how to be better prepared… what questions should you ask your doctors/lawyers/insurance brokers etc. And through it all was the concept that waiting and relying on others to change your life is dangerous. It is beholden on each of us to be in control of our own decisions choices in our lives and to take appropriate action for ourselves and our loved ones. Somehow even the simplest decisions like the foods you put into your body or how you choose to spend (and save) your money have gotten incredibly complex. Even the process of planning my daughter’s wedding is a shockingly complicated series of decisions and details, especially in a world dominated by COVID.
With COVID we are all being brainwashed that the only solutions are vaccines and mask mandates. But that’s simply not true. There are things that people can do about it… to reduce their own risk of illness. I’ve spoken about it before: losing weight, taking vitamin D and zinc and making other changes that improve the health of your immune system. But as I watch the tweets and the Facebook posts, and experience the filtering of their “post police” every time I try to share well researched information about COVID self-defense, I am seeing that social media posts are just a whisper in the wind.
What’s that old adage? Actions speak louder than words?
So… the question… if you’re frustrated with what’s happening in your world…is…
What can you do for yourself and the community?
There are likely groups that are already addressing the topics of your interest, and they no doubt need help, either paid or volunteer. You can start by attending a meeting just to get the lay of the land. I actually sat in a zoom meeting last week about some issues happening in my town. I had never been involved in town issues before but there are some things that are concerning me. So, I sat in on a meeting and was shocked to see how many gaps there were in what they were discussing and planning. They are in sore need of additional bodies and minds. Since that meeting I have gotten follow-up emails from three of the leaders of that meeting seeking my input and wanting to discuss things further. Wow… I spoke up one time and admitted that I knew nothing on the subject and had never participated in anything like this before, and yet my fresh viewpoint made the room pause and rethink some of their assertions.
You can do it, too. Rather than just steam and rant, do a little research to see who is already addressing the issues. Contact them for information. Go to a meeting. Then see what you can do to actually move the ball forward. Even if you’re at a distance or staying homebound, there are phone calls to be made and other tasks that can be done at a distance.
I am convinced that part of the anger and frustration in America (and the world ) right now is due to people feeling helpless and unable to take action to change things… so they rant online.
Just posting another opinion is merely adding to the frustration, it doesn’t make change. It doesn’t make progress. If you want change, then put your time and your effort where your heart is and do something.
What are you going to do about it?
