We live in a scary world where sometimes all I want to do is find love and bury myself in it.

But combatting evil requires us to exude love outward, not inward.

It requires unabashed truth-telling and living in constant awareness as opposed to numbing ourselves down into submission and acceptance.

It means saying the difficult thing while expecting pushback and even staunch opposition based in fear and ignorance.

Today’s rhetoric is poisonous, tongues like serpents;

Misogyny runs rampant through toxic leaders who want to dominate by force, both through land grabbing and passing anti-trans and forced-pregnancy bills that want to legislate our bodies.

White supremacy wreaks havoc through voter suppression laws that want to exclude people of color from having a voice and ignoring wars in dark-skinned nations.

Patriarchy seeks to use words as weapons in order to manipulate those with disinformation and inaccessible means of a quality education.

Greed keeps those at the top in power to divide and conquer, counting their millions and billions as they continue to rig the system.

Capitalism without regulation is a construct of manipulation to keep the rich wealthier and the rest of us in constant obedience…marketing ploys to encourage spending and debt as well as empty promises of trickle-down rewards for your dedication and hard work, while killing unions and collective bargaining…oligarchs keeping planet-destroying industries in the forefront as priority.

It takes courage to speak up and act out against such power;

Rubbing up against the grain of “societal decency”…

But the jig is up as decency has left the building only to expose the true nature and intention of the wolves in sheeps’ clothing.

Inauthenticity is always exposed eventually;

Lies and deceit come out of hiding and truth finds the light.

We need only be willing to see it and call it out.

Wrap yourself up in the love around you, but don’t forget to pay it forward

In the form of caring, compassion, and dedicated learning, open-mindedness, and commitment to truth.

We haven’t lost yet; the pen is mightier than the sword.

Ideas are what stimulate innovation and progress; not brute force.

Educate, innovate, create…remember our collective humanity through these endeavors.

You won’t find answers in the barrel of a gun or a drone sent to bomb a distant country.

Destruction is never the answer; creation is…it’s the soul of humanity.

Exude love outward through deeds, words, creation, music, artistry, etc…and let’s create magic together.

We have power in numbers; our very souls are at stake now…our entire humanity.

We must come together now…or foresee our demise.