My Valentine's Day Wish On What Should Matter
There’s something I can’t get off my mind. It’s not something I want on my mind, but it’s ever-present and, hard as I’ve tried, I can’t shake it. Because it hurts to think about it, I’d do anything to kill the thoughts, but then someone says, “Did you hear the latest…?”
The “latest” is good news to many people, but they aren’t being told the whole truth. And that, too, is on my mind. But this all boils down to one worry: “Will I ever regain some peace of mind?”
I’ve been here before, always when I’ve felt powerless. Regaining my stillness of heart and mind has only come after taking action—taking to the streets, raising my voice, volunteering, campaigning, being a delegate to a national convention, and running for Congress.
But things are so very different now. I can’t yet grasp how on earth I’ll find that peace so long as society’s guardrails—those essential behaviors, rules, and laws necessary to maintain a functioning nation—are eviscerated.
Yet today is Valentine’s Day and I want to think about love and patience—and even keeping the faith despite the immoral, unlawful wrecking ball swinging toward us. So, I ask myself, what are the things that truly matter?
My answer is loud and swift: What troubles me really does matter. It should not be dismissed or taken lightly. I don’t get a pass. I should not bury my head in the sand. This assault on our democracy will matter for generations to come.
No, things haven’t been right or just for a long time. But this “solution” will be more of the same on steroids.
It will matter when our sons or grandsons are pulled off their couches, smartphones, and gaming devices, and stuffed into green army uniforms. It will matter when husbands are sent to wage a preemptive war to take Greenland, Mexico, Canada, or Panama by force. Or to help Russians secure larger swaths of land in Ukraine.
No, he's not joking.
There was an ICE raid at Long Beach City College yesterday….just a few blocks up the street. They were taking young people out and putting them on busses. They will likely end up in the new Gulag—a new tent city the President has ordered at Guantanamo. It will accommodate 30,000 “undesirables.”
I can’t imagine my grandparents being treated as criminals or sent to a Gulag just for seeking refuge or opportunity in this country. Sure, there were haters back then—one shop owner chased my father out of his store, calling him a greasy Greek—but the government valued how the nation benefitted from cheap, hardworking laborers. Many Greek immigrants built our railroads.
While kids were loaded on ICE busses, the President was making a deal with New York Mayor Eric Adams: I’ll terminate your prosecution if you terminate N.Y. sanctuary city laws. These laws actually don’t give sanctuary to any individuals who’ve been convicted of violent crimes. Instead, they prevent ICE officers from pulling law-abiding immigrants out of workplaces, churches, and schools.
The President knows that immigrants are 60% less likely to commit any crime than natural born citizens. Fact is, there aren’t enough violent criminals (supposedly millions) for ICE to arrest as the President promised. That was just another campaign promise wrapped in lies.
That’s why ICE is grabbing anyone they can, kids, grandmas, sons, daughters, whose only crime was to cross the border to save their skin. It’s eye candy for those who think all immigrants are criminals or criminally inclined by birth.
All these things that matter are things I can’t help but think about—even today. Yet, I also think about those things that mattered before this nation completely lost its footing. Things like: Are my loved ones okay? Does someone need my help? Can I still make the world a happier place? Can I stay healthy? Are my loved ones sufficiently protected? Can they use some comfort or helpful advice? Are they happy? Is there anything I can do to improve anyone’s life?
These are the questions most people I know consider every day because they are the things that matter in a healthy society.
If we can all focus on these useful questions and allow only our hearts to answer them—not the circus of politicians, news anchors, millennial influencers and bloggers—just your heart, we will all be on the right path to feeling happier about our life and regaining some control over this nation’s uncertain future.
This is my Valentine’s Wish.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Slipstream
Focusing on love is my go-to when I slip into darkness. Giving love is a sure fire way to lift my spirits so I try to find ways to do that every day. Today, I let a woman with a baby go ahead of me in the grocery line. She was grateful, and I felt good—two smiles; a win-win. Happy Valentine's Day!
Youngdannville
In this land which once had free speech, freedom of religion and supposedly all men created equal the biggest bully in the world is having so many people bow to his wish and join his cult it will be years before reasonable life returns. As an immigrant I’m tired of hearing how terrible we are AS if you are not Native American you are an immigrant.
Those of us not in the cult need to continue to speak up for the return of some sense of morality to our country. Countries like Canada and their citizens are fighting back and so should we
Evangel
God bless all those who are speaking up, who have the guts, who are risking everything, knowing they will be fired.
It's a tragedy what's happening in this country. Stupid is as stupid does. Proof of this is firing people who oversee our nuclear safety and having to then rehire them or firing several USDA employees overseeing the federal response to the H5N1 avian flu outbreak, and having to rehire them. Oops.
Obviously, when Trump said he was going to clean the swamp, he forgot to mention he was sending kindergartners in to do all that clean up. Smart. Efficient. Especially coming from something called the Department of Government Efficiency!
Well Street
As a means of self-care, I stopped watching the news in mid-October, and for obvious reasons, I don't feel compelled to tune in now. However, some believe this action isn't self-care but selfish, and my choice to be ignorant of what's happening in the country is foolish. This makes me consider that if the colonial rebels in the late 1700s felt similarly disengaged, America would likely look very different today.
Some things that matter to me most are what you've talked about here—staying healthy, being present for loved ones, and bringing happiness and positivity to others. Regaining some control over our nation's future sounds great, and I'm curious to learn how leading with our hearts can make this happen.
Evangel
Excellent question.
First, I would imagine that if anyone judges you, they are simply unable to see what lies beneath your decision. It's not that you don't care about what's going on, it's that you care so much. Your body then is forced to steep in an unhealthy stew of stress chemicals—those byproducts of sorrow, fear, and constant jabs of emotional pain. You are fortunately aware of these feelings and are seeing to mitigate them.
But you are not alone by a long shot. A majority of Americans, especially those who voted for Trump, are feeling the same stress. They feel defrauded, cheated, and foolish on top of the stress of losing their work, their farm, their Medicare telemedicine, cheaper diabetes meds, and the fear of losing their home.
Most people are too shocked to be clear yet about how to regain control over their lives let alone the nation. But Youtropolis will provide help and comfort as Everyone's Social Safety Net. You can be a source of information, comfort, and redirection on a daily basis by just showing up.
Ultimately, I can guarantee that Americans are fighters and will fight a dictatorship, even if the courts fail to do so. People are not dumb, they see what's going on and many former Trump supporters are outraged.
Also, there are several ways to take action immediately. One is to be aware of which companies have dropped their DEI policies and stop being their customer. Another action for those who live in Republican districts, is to show up at public constituent events or "meet and greets" with your Representatives and give them hell. Let them know in no uncertain terms that they will not be reelected if they continue to support Trump's immoral policies.
Even if you are an Independent or Democrat, you should show up to protest. This scares Representatives more than anything else because it is a genuine threat to their own livelihood. They can only be fired by their constituents.
We will be talking about more actions people can take. In the end, the idiocy of such polarizing figures such as Trump, Musk, Vance, and additional cronies may, ironically, be the one tonic that brings this divided nation together in one big and beautiful united front.