Walking everyday. Planning and prepping for a Grand Canyon trip early March. The descent through time there tends to put our immediate world order into perspective. Actively staying connected to local community and civil disobedience efforts. Not exactly excited about the young tech bros raping everyone’s privacy but I think something like this was inevitable. My mom’s 94, I’m 70, my kids are 36-40, I’m close with 20-25 year olds. What America was for us is not what it has been for the younger generation. Our government and main stream media has been corporate and corrupt to them their whole lives. They may not want this insanity but they didn’t want the boomer reality either. Maybe once it’s all torn down they will build a better house. But I think we will be experience tremendous chaos and suffering in the next few years.
I’ve been talking to my brother a lot. He’s retired Navy and worked in NATO command for 20 years, and formally identified as a moderate Republican. He’s just as disgusted about everything going on as I am. I usually share with him a piece by Anne Applebaum from The Atlantic or Ezra Klein from NYT, and it’s interesting to see the lightbulbs go off in his head. I figure if Rob and I can find common ground, maybe there will soon come a day when people who used to disagree with each other about politics are out in the street peacefully protesting, demanding accountability. I also take heart about Poland’s peaceful revolution in 2023, wherein they overcame their far right autocratic government. It’s going to take a long time to rebuild institutions to work for the people, but they’re doing it.
Exercising, meditating, and going outside (bonus points for all three at once). they want us to disconnect from our bodies and souls. We need to stay closely in tune with our Selves so we can stay healthy and focused. Thanks for this.
I sit on a regional advisory council for the Bureau of Land Management, and something that would help me cope is finding good articles/resources concerning the rights and processes terminated federal employees can rely on to fight their terminations.
Yes to hiking and focusing on beauty and anything living that is not of this human web. I think about being on rivers soon a lot.
But I am also writing and calling my representative Jeff Hurd everyday, for my own sanity if not for his eventual discovery of a spine. I choose a focus and write about district 3 in Colorado and the administration’s impact on our district. I’m also in higher education, so I write about that. And I try to stay informed so I can better help the faculty I work with. Networking with others in higher Ed and federal funding helps.
I think of Michelle Obama - Do something. And Morgan Sfogren- do something good.
Thanks for the space to share and vent, Jonathan. Be well.
I unplug- as much as possible. It’s a struggle you know, to stay properly informed, yet not drop into the abyss.
From my youth on, getting literally grounded has been my survival. I take as many walks in nature as life permits- and lately because I live in the PNW, I’ve been going through pictures of hikes.
Like everyone else on this thread I am deeply concerned- waiting for a moment to act in some way of significance.
My go-to relief valve is humor. The absurdities pile up thick & fast. The Crypto-bros are salivating at their proximity to power - given the colossal energy waste involved in producing cryptocurrency, my solution, instead of building more coal & natural gas power plants to fuel this imaginary yet massively wasteful funny-money game, is to build them in active volcanos - it's the right place for them (all that geothermal energy!) - their volatility will be right at home!
I also get outside - the sight and sound of a high-flying kingfisher chittering away is good for a day of peace in my heart.
And I'm in a book club with my sons - we're reading Thomas Pynchon's Against the Day and discussing it - the flavor is steampunk/ early 20th century, but he touches on so much that is relevant now.
Have you noticed that scientists are identifying swarms of seismic activity everywhere, including locations with no history of earthquakes for hundreds of years? It was a mystery briefly. Turns out, it's the effect of millions of WWII veterans rolling over in their graves. Apparently, after sacrificing their youth, their health, and too often their lives to purge Nazis and Imperialists from the Earth...they can witness their efforts being abandoned by our own Commander in Chief less than 80 years later. I think the Big One is coming.
I've found that a bit of cognitive dissonance between the larger vs. the local scale has brought me some peace of mind. If I look at the big picture - of which I have no direct control over- it is easy to feel as though one is drowning. Looking across the table though, and speaking to my neighbors, in a local facet I recognize we are not so far gone despite he challenges.
Though a good winter camp is also a humbling a grounding addition.
I'm dragging my old body from clinics to hospitals taking care of myself and loved ones. The Trump/Musk co-presidency are no friend of the American west. They see it as a revenue source. I wouldn't be surprised if DOGE takes over the BLM and the NPS and makes both defacto public lands auctioneers.
Thanks for your post and the grisly photo montage - fits the mood! I'm walking hiking, getting outdoors, staying in touch with my parkie friends (I'm retired NPS), making phone calls (my two female dem senators are on speed dial).
I will be keeping track of the state and federal grants that have been cancelled or are no longer available for the projects that my Borough and other communities have been counting on or anticipating; hoping to get a better handle on the particular abandoned mine lands restoration projects, transportation system improvements, and basic services that won't be going forward and then letting my U.S. Senators (Fetterman and McCormaack) and Representatives know in concrete terms how the current administration actions are affecting their constituents.
I think it's important to look at the grisly and bear witness. So thank you for the art piece, I love it and hate it simultaneously. Turning on the radio these days is a blow to the nervous system. Afterwards I acknowledge feeling an all-body sense of threat, so as not to lie to myself. Then: Donate. Reach out to loved ones who are directly being harmed. Cry. Scream. Make plans to see and love dearly cherished places & beings. Read wise words. Run, hike, marvel, & feel awe of the natural world. And perhaps my biggest coping mechanism for the last month has been getting more involved in a community learning about the geology of the Cascades with a local geology instructor - folks join together from all over the world and from across the political socioeconomic spectrum to engage in the programs. And so I practice not thinking in terms of they/other/idiots etc. It's mostly wonderful to cultivate a connection and keep knocking over the false narratives my fear brain tries to conjur. Also, LOVING Tyson Yunkaporta's book Sand Talk and his use of the concept of dual first person "us-two" or ngal; that we all have a bit of idiots in us from time to time, and that human misery comes from thinking "I am great, others are less than..."
No need to apologize. Your photo montage and your short check-in fit the moment. What is being done IS grisly. It's also reckless, heartless, and lawless. In truth, at the moment, I suffer little, but the one thing that is unshakable is my expanding feeling of solastalgia. A deep and unshakable solastalgia, coupled to my vicarious grief for all those in the direct path of the usurping of all decency and normalcy. So it seems my mood is in step with yours, and I feel ya amigo. So how am I coping? Well, the smart ass in me lashes out at the keyboard occasionally. The hack word-stringer that I am gets some relief from ventilating ideas with keystrokes. I'm also coping the old school way: with as much daily-digital-detox as the trappings of modern life allow. I step away from the silicon screen; the dopamine and dread, and stroll, pedal, or run away. I breathe deep, stare into the far away and trust that this moment, like all others, will give way. And when it does, it will be like a metronome, and swing the other way. -Saludos JP, stay strong.
I am not coping well. More on auto pilot watching the show unfold and holding my breath in a long hollow prayer that isn't being answered. It is a shit show with all of the accoutrements. It is in the air, a creeping feeling of a deranged few leading us all into a dark place politically, socially, economically, and so on. There is always the other side of love and light and community. This is what allows me to exhale.
Thanks for acknowledging that you are "not coping well," though I wonder if that is really true. This is a terrible situation and to not be really upset isn't realistic nor healthy.
i wish i had more faith in this or believed it at all. i believe there will be many years of destruction of so much that we hold sacred, before the rest of society catches up & realizes it's too late, the wolves tore thru the henhouse
And furthermore, Betsy, your clear expression of the reality of the moment is poetic and so that much more powerful and accurate in a deep sense. Thanks.
Walking everyday. Planning and prepping for a Grand Canyon trip early March. The descent through time there tends to put our immediate world order into perspective. Actively staying connected to local community and civil disobedience efforts. Not exactly excited about the young tech bros raping everyone’s privacy but I think something like this was inevitable. My mom’s 94, I’m 70, my kids are 36-40, I’m close with 20-25 year olds. What America was for us is not what it has been for the younger generation. Our government and main stream media has been corporate and corrupt to them their whole lives. They may not want this insanity but they didn’t want the boomer reality either. Maybe once it’s all torn down they will build a better house. But I think we will be experience tremendous chaos and suffering in the next few years.
I’ve been talking to my brother a lot. He’s retired Navy and worked in NATO command for 20 years, and formally identified as a moderate Republican. He’s just as disgusted about everything going on as I am. I usually share with him a piece by Anne Applebaum from The Atlantic or Ezra Klein from NYT, and it’s interesting to see the lightbulbs go off in his head. I figure if Rob and I can find common ground, maybe there will soon come a day when people who used to disagree with each other about politics are out in the street peacefully protesting, demanding accountability. I also take heart about Poland’s peaceful revolution in 2023, wherein they overcame their far right autocratic government. It’s going to take a long time to rebuild institutions to work for the people, but they’re doing it.
Exercising, meditating, and going outside (bonus points for all three at once). they want us to disconnect from our bodies and souls. We need to stay closely in tune with our Selves so we can stay healthy and focused. Thanks for this.
And reading Vaclav Havel and MLK Jr and listening to RATM. It’s all about balance.
I sit on a regional advisory council for the Bureau of Land Management, and something that would help me cope is finding good articles/resources concerning the rights and processes terminated federal employees can rely on to fight their terminations.
Yes to hiking and focusing on beauty and anything living that is not of this human web. I think about being on rivers soon a lot.
But I am also writing and calling my representative Jeff Hurd everyday, for my own sanity if not for his eventual discovery of a spine. I choose a focus and write about district 3 in Colorado and the administration’s impact on our district. I’m also in higher education, so I write about that. And I try to stay informed so I can better help the faculty I work with. Networking with others in higher Ed and federal funding helps.
I think of Michelle Obama - Do something. And Morgan Sfogren- do something good.
Thanks for the space to share and vent, Jonathan. Be well.
I'm retired from academia but I wonder how my university will react to the threat to cut off funding. They likely won't knuckle under.
I unplug- as much as possible. It’s a struggle you know, to stay properly informed, yet not drop into the abyss.
From my youth on, getting literally grounded has been my survival. I take as many walks in nature as life permits- and lately because I live in the PNW, I’ve been going through pictures of hikes.
Like everyone else on this thread I am deeply concerned- waiting for a moment to act in some way of significance.
My go-to relief valve is humor. The absurdities pile up thick & fast. The Crypto-bros are salivating at their proximity to power - given the colossal energy waste involved in producing cryptocurrency, my solution, instead of building more coal & natural gas power plants to fuel this imaginary yet massively wasteful funny-money game, is to build them in active volcanos - it's the right place for them (all that geothermal energy!) - their volatility will be right at home!
I also get outside - the sight and sound of a high-flying kingfisher chittering away is good for a day of peace in my heart.
And I'm in a book club with my sons - we're reading Thomas Pynchon's Against the Day and discussing it - the flavor is steampunk/ early 20th century, but he touches on so much that is relevant now.
Have you noticed that scientists are identifying swarms of seismic activity everywhere, including locations with no history of earthquakes for hundreds of years? It was a mystery briefly. Turns out, it's the effect of millions of WWII veterans rolling over in their graves. Apparently, after sacrificing their youth, their health, and too often their lives to purge Nazis and Imperialists from the Earth...they can witness their efforts being abandoned by our own Commander in Chief less than 80 years later. I think the Big One is coming.
It could well be. But only if there's a profit in it. Wars aren't fought to be won anymore, they're revenue sources.
I've found that a bit of cognitive dissonance between the larger vs. the local scale has brought me some peace of mind. If I look at the big picture - of which I have no direct control over- it is easy to feel as though one is drowning. Looking across the table though, and speaking to my neighbors, in a local facet I recognize we are not so far gone despite he challenges.
Though a good winter camp is also a humbling a grounding addition.
I'm dragging my old body from clinics to hospitals taking care of myself and loved ones. The Trump/Musk co-presidency are no friend of the American west. They see it as a revenue source. I wouldn't be surprised if DOGE takes over the BLM and the NPS and makes both defacto public lands auctioneers.
Thanks for your post and the grisly photo montage - fits the mood! I'm walking hiking, getting outdoors, staying in touch with my parkie friends (I'm retired NPS), making phone calls (my two female dem senators are on speed dial).
I will be keeping track of the state and federal grants that have been cancelled or are no longer available for the projects that my Borough and other communities have been counting on or anticipating; hoping to get a better handle on the particular abandoned mine lands restoration projects, transportation system improvements, and basic services that won't be going forward and then letting my U.S. Senators (Fetterman and McCormaack) and Representatives know in concrete terms how the current administration actions are affecting their constituents.
I think it's important to look at the grisly and bear witness. So thank you for the art piece, I love it and hate it simultaneously. Turning on the radio these days is a blow to the nervous system. Afterwards I acknowledge feeling an all-body sense of threat, so as not to lie to myself. Then: Donate. Reach out to loved ones who are directly being harmed. Cry. Scream. Make plans to see and love dearly cherished places & beings. Read wise words. Run, hike, marvel, & feel awe of the natural world. And perhaps my biggest coping mechanism for the last month has been getting more involved in a community learning about the geology of the Cascades with a local geology instructor - folks join together from all over the world and from across the political socioeconomic spectrum to engage in the programs. And so I practice not thinking in terms of they/other/idiots etc. It's mostly wonderful to cultivate a connection and keep knocking over the false narratives my fear brain tries to conjur. Also, LOVING Tyson Yunkaporta's book Sand Talk and his use of the concept of dual first person "us-two" or ngal; that we all have a bit of idiots in us from time to time, and that human misery comes from thinking "I am great, others are less than..."
No need to apologize. Your photo montage and your short check-in fit the moment. What is being done IS grisly. It's also reckless, heartless, and lawless. In truth, at the moment, I suffer little, but the one thing that is unshakable is my expanding feeling of solastalgia. A deep and unshakable solastalgia, coupled to my vicarious grief for all those in the direct path of the usurping of all decency and normalcy. So it seems my mood is in step with yours, and I feel ya amigo. So how am I coping? Well, the smart ass in me lashes out at the keyboard occasionally. The hack word-stringer that I am gets some relief from ventilating ideas with keystrokes. I'm also coping the old school way: with as much daily-digital-detox as the trappings of modern life allow. I step away from the silicon screen; the dopamine and dread, and stroll, pedal, or run away. I breathe deep, stare into the far away and trust that this moment, like all others, will give way. And when it does, it will be like a metronome, and swing the other way. -Saludos JP, stay strong.
Put my congressional reps on speed dial, hike/walk in nature, and stress knit. Three scarves since inauguration and sharing them.
Also connecting more deeply with friends to build and reinforce this community.
I should also say thank you for sharing your voice. A little too much caffeine and bad-news overload first thing this morning.
I am not coping well. More on auto pilot watching the show unfold and holding my breath in a long hollow prayer that isn't being answered. It is a shit show with all of the accoutrements. It is in the air, a creeping feeling of a deranged few leading us all into a dark place politically, socially, economically, and so on. There is always the other side of love and light and community. This is what allows me to exhale.
Thanks for acknowledging that you are "not coping well," though I wonder if that is really true. This is a terrible situation and to not be really upset isn't realistic nor healthy.
The coup will fail, the thieves will fall out, the tide always withdraws before a tsunami arrives. A giant wave of backlash will wash them away.
i wish i had more faith in this or believed it at all. i believe there will be many years of destruction of so much that we hold sacred, before the rest of society catches up & realizes it's too late, the wolves tore thru the henhouse
And furthermore, Betsy, your clear expression of the reality of the moment is poetic and so that much more powerful and accurate in a deep sense. Thanks.