What Matters Most

The house of cards is crumbling. And for many, the overwhelm is taking its toll. We’re being forced to admit that our racist and murderous history is not simply in our past, but is and has been ever present. We have a choice. Those who cheered on this grotesque turn, are either in continued support of it, or are in full blown regret. Some are paralyzed by the fear of what we’re witnessing and now reckon with their participation in creating it.

Those who rejected and continue to resist the ICE raids on families, the disappearance of children, the murder of fisherman and the dismantling of our government’s checks and balances also have choices. Paralysis is not a choice. It’s capitulation. We can give up, assuming it’s too late and too hard to change – or we can continue to resist.

And this is the tricky part; how do we resist?

Knowing what matters most to us as individuals and collectively is our way out. Respecting ourselves and each other, caring for and listening to each other and acting with the confidence of people who know that the power we inherently carry will triumph.

The sun always dispels darkness. We have power that we have yet to tap. Not the power of conquistadors, but the power of seeds yet to be planted and harvested. We have all allowed this ignorance to reign and now it is our time to choose differently. We can discover and nurture our strengths. There’s great power in resilience, in clarity, in the ability to circumvent doubt. There is worthy power in aligning with compassion and empathy. And there are powers no one will ever dominate: our ability to love and to feel gratitude. These are the seeds of our becoming.

Nurture what matters most.

The Evin Prisons Bakers’ Club, Surviving Iran’s Most Notorious Prisons in 16 Recipes by Sepideh Gholian is a hard hitting look at the life of women political prisoners in Iran – their courage, sorrows, joys and triumphs told by one who has survived and thrives.

This Changing the Narrative podcast is translated by Fatemeh Jamalpour. Reading the book and engaging in this conversation with Sepideh has deepened my humanity and encouraged my resistance. Take time with this.

The Evin Prisons Baker’s Club with author Sepideh Gholian

Dismantling the Master’s House

When Audre Lorde wrote, “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house,” the door opened again to the dismantling of the systems that oppress us – if we let them.

And just what is the master’s house? The patriarchy that continues to subjugate women the world over are the pillars. In the walls are hidden the abuse of women and children and the inhumane secrets of generations. The floors are made of capitalism dependent on extreme extractions of the earth and of human blood, sweat and tears. And religions, that abandon simple truths in order to align with power, are the roof of the master’s house. The master’s house is a tight little package that we have accepted and we continue to support – until we don’t.

And what are the tools that we should not use to dismantle this prison? The lies of scarcity, that there is not enough; that life is about ‘dog eat dog’ and ‘might is right’. That heaven can only be found in dying and life is about sacrifice and pain and that we are separate from one another and all Creation. These are the tools the master has used to build his house.

What then are the tools to dismantle this prison? Knowing who you are is key. Recognizing the preciousness of life and the connection we all carry to our Creator and to one another sweeten the effort of dismantling. Love and compassion are our strengths. Courage and clarity are essential. And the hope that is born on this effort is never forsaken. It carries on.

“Nobody’s free until everybody’s free”. Let us join the host of human beings who have traversed this course. Enough of inhumanity. It’s time we depart the master’s prison and bring the willing home.

For inspiration, courage and clarity:

Fannie Lou Hamer – “Until I am Free You are Not Free Either”

Angelou “No One of Us is Free until Everybody’s Free“

Dignity and Grace

Don’t Let Them Bury My Story is the book by the oldest living survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Viola Ford Fletcher passed from this life on November 24th. She was 111. Her story will not be buried.

If you know of the Tulsa Race Massacre, it’s likely because of the lifelong effort of Mother Fletcher and others who suffered the haunting memories of White hate. It’s said ‘history is written by the victors’, but those who survived the two-day massacre in 1921, are proving that wrong.

Mother Fletcher was seven years old when the White mob began the massacre that slaughtered at least 300 Black people and burned down the affluent Black Community of Greenwood.

None of the White mob were ever convicted of the killings, lootings and torching of businesses and homes. Authorities deputized lynch mobs and harassment by Whites continued. Viola’s family escaped with only the clothes they wore. Many of the homeless families spent the winter in tents. Human perseverance and advocacy refuse to allow the erasure of truth.

Mother Fletcher’s lifelong quest for reparations was never fulfilled, but her words continue to echo giving way to truth telling and the possibility of healing. Her life and legacy is one of hope and much more than survival.

On May 19, 2021, she testified before Congress, “I will never forget the violence of the White mob…I still see Black men being shot, Black bodies lying in the street. I still smell smoke and see fire. I still see Black businesses being burned. I still hear airplanes flying overhead. I hear the screams.”

The first Black mayor of Tulsa, Monroe Nichols, has proposed June 1, 2026 as a Day of Observance with a plan to raise $105 million for reparations. This hope for healing will include releasing documents related to the massacre.

Viola Ford Fletcher’s Foundation will continue to “operate for the Good of humanity, believing we are stronger together.”

May dignity and grace continue to lead.

Viola’s Vision for Leadership

-from the Viola Ford Fletcher Foundation: To humanity’s leaders:

Fundamentally people are the same. We need clean water, air, quality food, safe spaces free of violence to rest our heads, raise children, learn; love, be loved, and respected. We want to belong to our communities because they allow and support us to explore our best. When our basic needs are met, we become freer to dream and learn… to read more of Viola’s principles

photo of Viola Ford Fletcher is from her foundation.

There Are More of Us

While I was handing out “No Transmission Corridor” flyers, I learned again the adage, ‘There are more of us’. The majority of folks didn’t know about Dairyland’s proposal to bring what would be the highest transmission line in Wisconsin through the Driftless, but they were glad to find out, and thanked me for letting them know.

There were a few who didn’t care, but they learned something that will hopefully be nagging at them as they drive through our precious landscapes. And of course there were the very, very few who weren’t opposed to it – not for it, but not opposed to it. They’re the ones who don’t court independent thinking and are content not rocking the boat. But nonetheless, there it was again – that sweet knowing that we are the majority.

We, the ones who care, the ones just waiting for that precious piece of knowledge and inclusion that allows us to stand for something. The ones who are still capable of feeling dignity and who love the earth unquestioningly.

Corporate media has done a great job keeping us placated and ignorant. We’ve been fed lies about what is necessary and what is progress for decades. We’ve been told what is inevitable and have lost our clarity and our voice in the process.

But now as we witness lies exposed, as we learn of neighbors viciously stripped from families and communities, as we see the extend the powerful will go to hide the grooming and raping of children, and as our earth is rocked by extraction, we are also witness to the rise of this: There are more of us. And I say bring it on.

Use time wisely. Look for people who want to know. Let’s widen the circle of our humanity with those who are waiting to be invited.

AND IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

“Another packed night, with probably over 600 people coming out in Charlotte, NC to be trained to join the safety patrols who are fanning out across the city each day to make sure that everyone can get to work and school safely… and home again at night.
Every night, hundreds more people come out to find out how to plug in.
And while CBP and ICE expanded their operations to other cities, so did we.” – Gwen Frisbie – Fulton

Read about the COP30 Climate Summit with over 1,000 Indigenous people registered for the event and their impact.

Survivors speak out in this video: World Without Exploitation. Bring abuse out of the shadows.

And learn more how to protect the Driftless:

Dignity: Tap Into It

Dignity. The word has been with us in Latin and French since the 13th century. It was used to exalt human characteristics of moral and ethical uprightness. We’ve celebrated our dignitaries and, as we have the tendency to do, emulated the trappings of those we believed qualified to carry the term. We acknowledged status, but this is a far more superficial understanding of what it means to hold dignity, or to be a dignified human being.

The Enlightenment brought the understanding of treating human beings with respect and recognized dignity to be an inalienable right. In 1948, the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed that ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.’ And while this marked a major milestone in human evolutionary thought, little has changed in the ways we’ve treated one another or have allowed others of us to be treated.

In fact, when you dive into the word (as Frederick Douglas did) it becomes apparent that political, legal and scientific scholars are ambiguous about the term. Dignity is largely left undefined.

But this is when the true meaning of dignity can emerge; when people cannot agree to a definition because the term cannot be encapsulated. Dignity cannot be caught in the trappings of language, and not in the mindset of intellectualism.

Dignity must be felt. Each of us has the right to claim and manifest the inherent dignity that lies within – which no one can take away and no law can circumvent.

It is our right and duty to manifest dignity. But first we must tap into it. Be courageous. Be human.

The photo is of my Diné friend and mentor who lived “Walk in Beauty”

“The soul that is within me no man can degrade.” Frederick Douglas

“No power on this earth can destroy the thirst for human dignity.” Nelson Mandela

Prem Rawat on Realizing Your Potential as a Human Being

Coercion Does Not Bring Peace

In 2016 I answered the call to go to the stand at Standing Rock. People around the world heard the prayers and came to protect the water. We saw the indecency of a country willing to destroy the Missouri River and the lives of People dependent on that river with a pipeline of crude oil from Canada. We refused to allow another broken treaty destroy Indigenous life. We witnessed the collusion of corporate and militarized police attacking peaceful, unarmed people, once again. Our history. One of conqueror and conquest, of usury and greed.

People endured water cannons, rubber bullets, tear gas and more from humans in full tactical gear who also answered a call. They followed the orders given by the king of the time, Obama.

I was there for the all-night stand at the bridge; and for the false surrender and lies that took the encampment down and everything that happened in between. I remain witness to this horrible breach in humanity and will be forever indebted to the People who upheld the very best in us.

Seeds were planted that still reverberate. The acknowledgement of those who came before – and those who will come after gave strength and courage. Yet many still do not know or care.

We are at war with ourselves. This Battle has ensued in every life throughout time. Who will we be? Which call will we answer?

Beliefs were shattered at Standing Rock. They’re being shattered now, too. They need to be. Belief that the government works for us, while it has repeatedly demonstrated that militarism is the its interest. Beliefs that one side or the other are the team to beat. Divide and conquer has worked for the powerful throughout our history. The belief in scarcity over the possibility of abundance. And the ignorance that continues to teach peace through coercion which has never been true. We need to free ourselves from these lies.

We’re not spectators; the sidelines no longer exist. For everyone who has the capacity, it is time to answer the call. Be human.

As our military is poised to destroy Venezuela and uses fishing vessels as target practice to breed fear; as we enter the third year of genocide and still pay Israel to ignore International Law and all human decency; as erasure of predominantly Brown and Black People is strategically carried out in mass deportations; and Queer People are reminded they are lessor than; as the king of “peace” adds the threat of nuclear testing; as children go hungry and people speak of eugenics with the dismantling of health care; as the Army Corps grants Enbridge permission to reroute Line 5…

The destruction of the East Wing is a symptom. Find ways to change the things we can. Stay focused. Empathy is our superpower. And true peace is still waiting for us. It is the option we have not tried.

The photos are courtesy of Ryan Vizzions (Redhawk) and are from Standing Rock. Thanks Ryan, your work continues to teach people and remind us all of who we are.

Recognize One Another and Carry On

In case you are living in a bubble or deliberately choosing to avoid all of the indications of societal decay, please let me remind you, no one is an island. What happens to one, happens to all.

There is no talking our way out. There is no hero coming to save the day. This, what remains of “us”, is begging for accountability. We have used up all of the false hopes allotted. And we are bankrupt when it comes to saviors.

That’s not to say hope does not exist, but it is to ask, where are we placing that precious gift called hope? Hope without accountable action is a false narrative, the lullaby of fools.

Safety nets are being ripped away with far too many of us falling. We are soon to be left with the only choice that has never left us: to help one another. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of mutual aid, it’s as old as “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.

Restoring human dignity is our most urgent need. Why is this most urgent? If we do not know our worth as human beings, if we do not see the value of each individual life, including our own, we will have forsaken the most significant weapon in our arsenal.

And in this battle over ignorance, restoring human dignity and seeking the company of those willing to do the same is imperative. There is power in this. There is unity regardless of differences. Where ever you are called to help: in stopping the inhumanity of ICE, in proclaiming Palestinian, Ukrainian and Others their freedom, in ensuring your neighbors have food and shelter – your courage and compassion are needed now. Recognize one another and carry on.

And in the meantime as the historic East Wing of the White House is destroyed making way for a ballroom, the military has conducted what appears to be illegal assassinations of sailors on the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean with no proven evidence of drug smuggling…and as the US military escalates its might over Venezuela.

The Curse of Interesting Times

Lawyers and courts are busy these days. Seems there’s a never-ending supply of the United States government’s illegal activities. From bombing supposed Venezuelan “narco terrorists” in the Caribbean; to ICE raids on US citizens, innocent migrants and non-whites; the amnesia surrounding due process; and the absurd pronouncement of antifa as an organization and not as an organizing principle, we have created quite a predicament.

How’s your sanity these days? Are you hiding until it’s over, whatever that will mean, or are you finding resourceful and creative ways to hang onto your humanity? Because make no mistake we are existing through some interesting times. And you know there is curse that says, “May you live in interesting times”. What would make living and pondering “interesting times” a curse?

Well, if you still debate good and bad, if you still waffle about is it or isn’t it a genocide, then you are suffering the curse of interesting times. And I only know one way out of that curse. Are you a human being or not? Are you capable of empathy or not? Do you recognize the power that you carry as an individual with choice as a weapon, or not?

Are you willing to leave a legacy of indifference that will burden your children’s children? Or do you recognize you have not only a responsibility but also a duty to be the very best human being you can possibly be – even in these “interesting times”.

Can you shed the cloaks of separation? Identities that serve only those who wish to continue the power grab of divide and conquer? Or can you envision the power of unity?

The use of the phrase “us and them” is a tool of the ignorant. To understand and utilize the word “we” is a step into power. Being human, my friends, is our way out.

And keep a good sense of humor…

For those who like to understand the root of words and phrases: May You Live In Interesting Times – is not a Chinese curse as generally supposed – but interesting origins nonetheless.

Woke Isn’t Going Away

Are we paying attention yet? Government should be created to uplift people, not burden them. Social media is flooded by people announcing their letters from Quartz Health Insurance. Quartz is dropping their Medicare supplemental coverage for Vernon and other rural counties.

It seems the federal cuts are making their way to our hometown folks. And the elderly and disadvantaged are taking a beating. The war on woke, that many cheered for, is now turning itself on everyone. Seems the Big Beautiful Bill may be destined to unite us after all.

The soybean market has tanked thanks to that beautiful word “tariff”. Farming insecurity is leading to farmer suicide. Desperation is palpable.

And while ICE continues on its unchecked inhumane rampage, slowly but surely resistance to racist cruelty is growing. The vast majority of us are descendants of immigrants. Immigrants, Slaves and Indigenous people are the foundation of this country. To ignore the obvious is self-destruction, and that is indeed where we are heading unless we stop it.

How long can we live under the cloak of violence and hatred, how long can we ignore what is happening to our youth, to the elderly, to our marginalized friends?

If you have been biting your lip, hiding your tears or whispering your concerns about what is happening to us, it’s now time to find the courage to speak and to act. If you didn’t believe Project 2025 was coming for you, you were mistaken. Sitting this battle out is no longer an option.

My advice is simple: listen to independent journalists. Zeteo and Danielle Moodie are two of my favorites. The language may be harsh, but the clarity of purpose and the urgency of now is there. And show up for the nationwide action on October 18th in local towns and in your front yard. You are needed.

Image from: The Badger Collective

Choose to Defiantly Live

I watched a fly caught in a web. It was very much alive, but as it squirmed the tighter the web grew. It was easy to see its black body against the white ceiling. Then I could see the thin frame of a spider making its way to the captive. The fly became even more frantic spiraling and spinning wildly. Impressed at its willingness not to die, I wondered if I should give aid. And then another spider began to move in. Recognizing its determination to live, I attempted to free the fly, but it was out of reach. As the two approaching spiders neared their prey, the fly broke free and catapulted down. I couldn’t see where it landed, and I am pretty sure it would be difficult to unweave the binding web. But I cheered for the sheer gumption displayed and the determination I witnessed. And then I realized I appreciated this defiant will to live because it is within me, within all of us.

Some of us die in increments, leaving bits of ourselves to decay in full view and forsaking the gift of life to the torments of living. We admire the courage to live in others, but do we ever acknowledge this will, this strength in ourselves? Do we accept this gift of will, or do we squander it?

Some of us die by compromise. Piece by piece we give ourselves away, never knowing the preciousness of the time we are given. Never accepting the power of our uniqueness. Never truly living.

We carry seeds of hope, clarity, courage and humanity necessary to the whole of us. If only we would choose to defiantly live and escape the bondages that hold us.

Accept the power of being alive. There is freedom in that.

photo Dewy spider web: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

Author: Dena Eakles