Occupy Wall Street, a march for women’s rights, the Million Man March on Washington, and countless others, what have they accomplished?  The citizens of a free nation are encouraged to congregate and support issues that individuals believe in.  Young people, women, all ethnic varieties, all told to march to have their voices heard.  Little do these folks know that real change only occurs at the ballot box and how you spend your money.  Wise organizers use marches and large gatherings as a way to register people to vote and inform supporters how they can spend their money to help the cause.

Unfortunately it didn’t work.  Equal rights, fair pay, financial equity for ethnic communities, and other pressing needs of today are not being taken up by our elected officials.  Instead, one by one, our freedoms are being taken away and America is being turned into a land of garbage and waste.  The uncontrollable need for easy profit has taken hold of our society, a land where hard-working jobs are discouraged and the self-aggrandizing behavior is encouraged.  A world of flash and no substance.  A land of overweight cogs who sit on their couches, watch sports, and live vicariously through their fantasy leagues pretending to exercise.

The religious right has a plan, and it’s a ground game.  Take hold of local politics, then move to state, and finally to national politics.  The single minded purpose of the National Republican Party is quite impressive, like the Nazi SS, they stay on mission no matter the cost.  Democrats fail by being right, Republicans don’t suffer that problem as they will say anything that furthers their cause.  So Democrats create circular firing squads being factual and liberal. Conservatives laugh and give them just enough rope to hang themselves.  The insane religious non-factual right is winning and Earth is suffering. 

I feel like the lone palm tree in a hurricane, I stand against the force of the wind, bending but not breaking.  The hilarious part of all this is that it’s harder to keep on the old wasteful path then to turn to a more efficient eco-friendly way of living.  What my liberal democratic friends don’t understand is that there is victory in living life on your terms.  Be a breakfront for the crashing waves, create change by being the change and not telling others how to live.  Stand up for justice, love, and equality by standing strong against the force of an ancient form of manipulation.  We don’t need a King, Empresses, an Authoritarian Dictatorship, or a benevolent billionaire - we need to do our part.

I’ve changed.  I think of everything I throw out now. “Where does it go?” I see my part in the local ecology and do my best by never using chemicals on my garden or lawn.  I see the birds, squirrels, bugs, and other local fauna having the same rights as I do.  We all deserve a clean world where our children can grow and have a life full of fulfillment and happiness.  My changing will not be enough, but that will not stop me!

If enough people change their attitude towards the natural world, maybe we can alter the course that the world is going on right now.  When it comes down to it, no cell phone grows food or provides clean drinking water.  It is up to us to change how we view the world and rethink how we exist.  Think about it: if we didn’t buy gas powered cars anymore, they would have to stop making them!  If we insisted that all new construction use 100% recycled materials, the economy would need to adapt to the new market. Why? That’s what markets do: they adjust, adapt, and change to make money or they die.

What has really changed? The ability to seek the facts about any situation and the power to access the information that can change our world.  Change the way we supply our food.  Change the way our dwellings are designed and build homes in concert with the natural world.  Change the way we travel, the future is faster, cheaper, and will not stress the local ecology.  Education should be about doing, not testing, and children need to be free to follow their passions.  WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD, BUT WE MUST START WITH OURSELVES BEFORE WE ASK OTHERS!