But that was a thought, not a fact. I am writing now.
Tim Miller, a writer at the Bulwark, and one of two Dads of a young child, is writing these days about his rage. He also writes that he is against "false powerlessness." Thank you, Tim.
As a writer and writing professor, I have learned that an overwhelming sense of "I can't" quickly dissipates when we start to move our fingers on a keyboard, or with a pen on paper.
Setting ourselves in motion changes everything. When our fingers move, when our bodies move, our brain circuitry and our brain chemistry shift.
David Lauter, a writer at the LA Times writes:
"A big argument opponents of gun regulation use is the despair inducing 'nothing works.' That's false. CA & TX used to have almost equal rates of gun deaths. CA's has dropped, TX's has risen as their laws have diverged." Thank you, David.
"Nothing works" is also a thought, not a fact.
Setting ourselves in motion changes everything.
Right now in our own cottage industry of love and liberation, Michal is writing letters to Virginia voters with Vote Forward. Last year her letters helped elect Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to the United States Senate. Thank you, Michal.
At the same time, across the room, my fingers are also moving. I am writing this.
One action leads to another. We don't have to be captives to a sense of powerlessness or despair.
We can call a friend to see how they're doing, and tell them how we're doing with our own grief and fury. We can make a donation (of any size) to Moms Demand Action or Sandy Hook Promise and be part of the river of resources that turn into momentous change. We can contact our elected officials and be part of a flood of messages.
And whatever our spiritual path may be, we can also count on powers beyond our own.
From my own path, here is a story. Greed has a powerful grasp, yes, but it does not have the last word on whether we are able to live loving, courageous, transformative lives.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With human beings this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:23-25)
Thank you, Jesus.