Thanks, Ruth. I'm aware of that distinction, but took "poetic license" here with words that rhyme more closely with a phrase I would not use in public!
I think you've touched on the heart of why, and to some extent, how we must rebel. Trump and his enablers are impossible to love, but it is not only possible, but critical that we begin to love ourselves more and love ourselves better than ever before. All of us: black, brown, Asian, Native, gay, straight, transgender, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, old, young, female, male, socialist, middle of the roader, conservative. We must love ourselves enough to disagree and dialogue and create something new, something fair, something just, something we can agree on well enough to make it work for everyone, not just the wealthy and privileged. If we only hate, we will fall into despair.
Thank you, Leigh, for all that you wrote here. For more along those lines, if you don't know the work of Valarie Kaur, her books are important, especially "See No Stranger."
Parker, your message resonates with my heart and my struggle to respond to the cruelty I read about everyday in the news. The fact that we keep forgetting our history and we fail to teach our children that it’s not just all about me, but about everyone, the common good, is a travesty. The latest historical fiction book I am reading is about Frances Perkins called BECOMING MADAME SECRETARY, by Stephanie Dray. In the early 1900’s she moved to New York City to make a survey of child malnutrition for her thesis in her pursuit of a master’s degree in economics. This was just the beginning of her eyes being opened to the suffering of the poor people who worked in the factories and their families. Her work was noticed by others working in the city and she moved into other positions, including political appointments. She worked tirelessly to improve working conditions for families and to end child labor. When her own mother was older and her father had passed away, she and her sister shared the care of her mother. This was another revelation about the plight of older people without means to care for themselves. Long story short, Frances Perkins became the Secretary of Labor in President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Cabinet and was instrumental in the passing of the Social Security Act. I think this book points out how our own suffering or challenges can help us to have empathy for others. When we work together, we can bring about change. Let’s keep voicing our objections to Congress and supporting candidates who will honor the Constitution and lift up all people. Thanks for challenging us to get into good trouble!
Thank you so much, Ellen. The Francis Perkins story is one of the great stories of American history, and we need to keep telling it in the midst of America's chronic amnesia. I know there are a lot more like her out there, and they deserve our support and encouragement to run for office. Thanks again...
Thank you for another excellent post! You continue to hit the nail on the head with your clear understanding of the current situation and the truth of it, as well as the very likely consequences and the clear lies.
Two months ago we hung our flag upside down in protest. Within a couple of weeks the police stopped by. Turns out one of the officers was someone my husband often sees at the fitness center, but he didn’t know it was our house. They laughed about that. The policeman said they got a call about our flag (they wouldn’t/couldn’t identify the caller) and came to see if we were truly in distress. When my husband told them why our flag was upside down, the two officers chuckled and said it was fine, but since they got the call, they did have to check. We will never know if someone really had concern for us or hoped the police would require us to hang the flag right side up (I won’t even say “correctly”).
Lately, especially since the passing of this big awful horrible bill, I have thought of a comment attributed to the anthropologist Margaret Mead after the discovery of a human skeleton with a repaired broken femur. Mead is said to have concluded, “Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts.” So many—and it is very evident in today’s Republican Party—have forgotten or ignored the basic importance/obligation of caring for other people.
Thanks so much, Susan. Good for you for flying your flag upside down, and good for the police for laughing about it. If ICE continues on its current path, the next agents who visit folks like you and me may not be laughing. So yes, let's get back to the origins story Margaret Mead pointed toward...
And isn't that a terrifying thought! My friend wondered allowed the other day when we were walking if because of our voting records, our protesting, the signs that have been in our yard, etc., if we might someday be locked up. She's not the first person I've heard wonder that or predict it. I want to laugh at it as being a silly thing, but very reluctantly I know I need to see this as a real possibility. Everything is on the table now. (!!!!!!)
Once again, thank you for another thoughtful post. Thomas Jefferson studied John Locke before he wrote The Declaration of Independence. Locke said that those who were governing derived their power solely from the consent of the governed. We are in this together....In Solidarity for 'we the governed.'
Thanks so much, Dave. "Democracy Lives" is a beautiful reflection, and should inspire all of us to DO democracy rather than imagine that we can simply HAVE it. Peace and power to you!
Thank you for this Mr. Palmer. I was very selective about what I read today because there was too much out there. I’m glad I read your peice.
Today has been a weird day. Normally, we would celebrate with a cookout, going to a parade to local fireworks. It was very subdued and we spent a lot of time outside -weeding and stretching our bodies as that is a good way to relieve anxiety.
I have also been rereading your book, On The Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Older.
It’s been a much needed reprieve from the news of the day .
Thanks for your kind words, Elizabeth. Like you, we had a quite and reflective 4th of July, with time spent outdoors in the healing presence of the natural world.
Yes. We need to start jamming the machinery of this government in any way we can by finding the courage, patience, persistence, and nonviolent love that impels us to "Get in trouble. Necessary trouble. Good trouble". There is a price to be paid for standing up, standing out, and speaking truth to power, but ". .the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead his Spirit fill us with power and love and with self-control". (2Tim 1:7)
I couldn’t agree more. As angry as I am at potus (lowercase reflects my sentiment), I am doubly angry at his enablers… people who took oaths to defend the constitution. As for “We the people” who vote them in to office, I have mixed feelings. It is difficult to yell and shout about saving democracy and then bemoan democracy. On fortunately, most of the voters either voted for his team or stayed home, both of which are their right under the same constitution. The silver lining is that we have a history of such anti-liberty decisions, and our republic has come back. Here’s to hope!
Thank you. Even though I think what's happening is one of the most serious crises in American history, I agree that this country has overcome crises before and can do so again. Here's to hope, and here's to millions of us taking it into our own hands!
There are times when I wonder if I’m playing into hysteria by being so concerned about what’s happening in America. But seeing Parker Palmer, a man known for his grace and humility, get full of righteous anger reassures me that outrage is appropriate for our moment.
Thanks so much, Caleb. Over the years, I've learned that there's nothing wrong with anger—there are things we need to be angry about. What matters is what you do with your anger, how you harness it toward worthy ends. I work on that one every day!
This quiz didn’t just land—it rang like a cracked Liberty Bell at dawn. That flag’s not half-mast in mourning, it’s half-mast in protest, trembling under the weight of lies dressed in “patriotism.” You’ve taken the soul of the Fourth, stripped it of illusion, and handed us back its bones with a call to dance. I’ll take that over fireworks any year.
Half staff if not on a ship.
Thanks, Ruth. I'm aware of that distinction, but took "poetic license" here with words that rhyme more closely with a phrase I would not use in public!
Parker, thank you for this message on Independence Day, it gives me much needed hope and encouragement.
Thank you, Patricia. I'm glad this spoke to you.
I think you've touched on the heart of why, and to some extent, how we must rebel. Trump and his enablers are impossible to love, but it is not only possible, but critical that we begin to love ourselves more and love ourselves better than ever before. All of us: black, brown, Asian, Native, gay, straight, transgender, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, old, young, female, male, socialist, middle of the roader, conservative. We must love ourselves enough to disagree and dialogue and create something new, something fair, something just, something we can agree on well enough to make it work for everyone, not just the wealthy and privileged. If we only hate, we will fall into despair.
Thank you, Leigh, for all that you wrote here. For more along those lines, if you don't know the work of Valarie Kaur, her books are important, especially "See No Stranger."
Thank you for this rousing piece. I wrote a post on July 4th also calling my own soul to action, in its own way.
Thanks, Louie, for your kind words and for speaking your own voice and "calling your soul into action," a great phrase.
Parker, your message resonates with my heart and my struggle to respond to the cruelty I read about everyday in the news. The fact that we keep forgetting our history and we fail to teach our children that it’s not just all about me, but about everyone, the common good, is a travesty. The latest historical fiction book I am reading is about Frances Perkins called BECOMING MADAME SECRETARY, by Stephanie Dray. In the early 1900’s she moved to New York City to make a survey of child malnutrition for her thesis in her pursuit of a master’s degree in economics. This was just the beginning of her eyes being opened to the suffering of the poor people who worked in the factories and their families. Her work was noticed by others working in the city and she moved into other positions, including political appointments. She worked tirelessly to improve working conditions for families and to end child labor. When her own mother was older and her father had passed away, she and her sister shared the care of her mother. This was another revelation about the plight of older people without means to care for themselves. Long story short, Frances Perkins became the Secretary of Labor in President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Cabinet and was instrumental in the passing of the Social Security Act. I think this book points out how our own suffering or challenges can help us to have empathy for others. When we work together, we can bring about change. Let’s keep voicing our objections to Congress and supporting candidates who will honor the Constitution and lift up all people. Thanks for challenging us to get into good trouble!
Thank you so much, Ellen. The Francis Perkins story is one of the great stories of American history, and we need to keep telling it in the midst of America's chronic amnesia. I know there are a lot more like her out there, and they deserve our support and encouragement to run for office. Thanks again...
Yes…Common good has been replaced with common cruelty…..sad sad sad
Thank you for another excellent post! You continue to hit the nail on the head with your clear understanding of the current situation and the truth of it, as well as the very likely consequences and the clear lies.
Two months ago we hung our flag upside down in protest. Within a couple of weeks the police stopped by. Turns out one of the officers was someone my husband often sees at the fitness center, but he didn’t know it was our house. They laughed about that. The policeman said they got a call about our flag (they wouldn’t/couldn’t identify the caller) and came to see if we were truly in distress. When my husband told them why our flag was upside down, the two officers chuckled and said it was fine, but since they got the call, they did have to check. We will never know if someone really had concern for us or hoped the police would require us to hang the flag right side up (I won’t even say “correctly”).
Lately, especially since the passing of this big awful horrible bill, I have thought of a comment attributed to the anthropologist Margaret Mead after the discovery of a human skeleton with a repaired broken femur. Mead is said to have concluded, “Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts.” So many—and it is very evident in today’s Republican Party—have forgotten or ignored the basic importance/obligation of caring for other people.
Thanks so much, Susan. Good for you for flying your flag upside down, and good for the police for laughing about it. If ICE continues on its current path, the next agents who visit folks like you and me may not be laughing. So yes, let's get back to the origins story Margaret Mead pointed toward...
And isn't that a terrifying thought! My friend wondered allowed the other day when we were walking if because of our voting records, our protesting, the signs that have been in our yard, etc., if we might someday be locked up. She's not the first person I've heard wonder that or predict it. I want to laugh at it as being a silly thing, but very reluctantly I know I need to see this as a real possibility. Everything is on the table now. (!!!!!!)
Common good has been replaced with common cruelty….
Thanks, Katy, and well-said.
Yes…and how very sad it is.
Thank you Mr. Palmer. Your words being great comfort and much to chew on.
Thank you, Kyle. I'm grateful that this spoke to you.
Once again, thank you for another thoughtful post. Thomas Jefferson studied John Locke before he wrote The Declaration of Independence. Locke said that those who were governing derived their power solely from the consent of the governed. We are in this together....In Solidarity for 'we the governed.'
Thank you, Katy. And thanks for taking us back to the philosophical roots of democracy.
Bless you, Palmer, and amen!
I will keep resisting and protesting.
Thank you, Suzette. Please do, and I will, too!
Happy Independence Day! https://substack.com/@poetpastor/note/p-167338050?r=5gejob&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
Thanks so much, Dave. "Democracy Lives" is a beautiful reflection, and should inspire all of us to DO democracy rather than imagine that we can simply HAVE it. Peace and power to you!
Thanks!
Thank you for this Mr. Palmer. I was very selective about what I read today because there was too much out there. I’m glad I read your peice.
Today has been a weird day. Normally, we would celebrate with a cookout, going to a parade to local fireworks. It was very subdued and we spent a lot of time outside -weeding and stretching our bodies as that is a good way to relieve anxiety.
I have also been rereading your book, On The Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Older.
It’s been a much needed reprieve from the news of the day .
Thanks for your kind words, Elizabeth. Like you, we had a quite and reflective 4th of July, with time spent outdoors in the healing presence of the natural world.
In the name of love
of country’s noble values.
Time to raise kind Cain.
...
Let’s mend the holey,
be flags, hearts, democracy.
We-worth it, holy.
Thanks as always, Marisol!
Yes. We need to start jamming the machinery of this government in any way we can by finding the courage, patience, persistence, and nonviolent love that impels us to "Get in trouble. Necessary trouble. Good trouble". There is a price to be paid for standing up, standing out, and speaking truth to power, but ". .the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead his Spirit fill us with power and love and with self-control". (2Tim 1:7)
Thank you, Marilyn. We all need to draw on whatever has helped us find courage in the crises that life always brings out way.
I couldn’t agree more. As angry as I am at potus (lowercase reflects my sentiment), I am doubly angry at his enablers… people who took oaths to defend the constitution. As for “We the people” who vote them in to office, I have mixed feelings. It is difficult to yell and shout about saving democracy and then bemoan democracy. On fortunately, most of the voters either voted for his team or stayed home, both of which are their right under the same constitution. The silver lining is that we have a history of such anti-liberty decisions, and our republic has come back. Here’s to hope!
Thank you. Even though I think what's happening is one of the most serious crises in American history, I agree that this country has overcome crises before and can do so again. Here's to hope, and here's to millions of us taking it into our own hands!
There are times when I wonder if I’m playing into hysteria by being so concerned about what’s happening in America. But seeing Parker Palmer, a man known for his grace and humility, get full of righteous anger reassures me that outrage is appropriate for our moment.
Thanks so much, Caleb. Over the years, I've learned that there's nothing wrong with anger—there are things we need to be angry about. What matters is what you do with your anger, how you harness it toward worthy ends. I work on that one every day!
This quiz didn’t just land—it rang like a cracked Liberty Bell at dawn. That flag’s not half-mast in mourning, it’s half-mast in protest, trembling under the weight of lies dressed in “patriotism.” You’ve taken the soul of the Fourth, stripped it of illusion, and handed us back its bones with a call to dance. I’ll take that over fireworks any year.
Thanks, friend. I'm grateful for the reading/interpretation you gave this piece.