DON’T ADD TO THE CHAOS!
Those who can read and choose not to, are no better off than those who can’t.
After herding cats these past 5 years, the growing “spectator culture” in America where political engagement is often treated like a performance to be watched or a post to be liked rather than a call action to show up in the real world, left me disheartened and exhausted. However, I am a stubborn ol’ lady and not one to give up easily.
For the reason that as a younger woman, blissfully ignorant, naively believing the adults were in charge and myself too busy simply surviving to worry much about anything that had no direct impact on me or mine at that moment in time. One day at a time was the most I could manage. Complacency, a form of privilege, to say I was merely complacent though would be an understatement. So, to those of you still on the sidelines, I get it….. to a degree…..
With Social media came performative participation, posts and tweets replacing real conversations and algorithms controlling who was fed which content when. Every platform, an echo chamber for talking heads pushing partial truths, conspiracy theories, and apocalyptic news, twisting enough truth with straight out lies for kicks and clicks. Making it difficult to figure out what was real and what was fake; alternative facts normalized and misinformation weaponized.
Reading books with pages replaced with snippets limited to just enough characters to instill fear and rage. Many today refuse to read anything longer than a paragraph or two and claim they don’t have the time to research much beyond the algorithms set up to validate what their activity on social media has shown resonates with them.
So here we are in the Age of Information in many ways more ignorant than ever, and those of us trying to use facts and reason to wake people up, who are only pretending to be asleep, are fatigued
Coordinating the first Ride for Liberty I learned that some are motivated to action because they are incensed by current events whether it directly impacts them or not. However, most are more likely to join only if the mission is more in line with a resolution than revolution.
Recently I was directed to a fellow motorcycle enthusiast who I was told had more experience herding cats than myself. Excited to have the conversation, unfortunately though I was not given much opportunity to share this year’s mission and vision. Without viewing the Liberty Ride website or other social media, my soon to be new friend insisted what we have done for five years would be impossible to do and that the challenge I proposed was an even more unrealistic pipe dream because “America was a Nation of spectators watching democracy die as if our politics were merely a contact sport.” Not realizing that we had indeed done what he said we could not do, and not just once but 5 times, I let him rant hoping for a chance to get a word in, then gave up. It was clear he was battling some of the same demons I have been. Leaving me as undeniably disheartened and exhausted as he was, our conversation ended on a bit of a sour note. However, after taking a look at the website, he reached out again later and said he was in. We all have those moments and we gained not just another liberty rider but I made a new friend.
Much of what I am sharing today I had already written long before that conversation so I did not need anyone to tell me what herding cats these past 5 years revealed about the growing “spectator culture” in America, in fact, it is the very reason I am hellbent on this mission.
You see, when the protests started popping up all over the country in early 2025, I was surprised, then excited and inspired. Spending most every day these past 5 years herding cats, I was convinced that if hundreds of thousands were hitting the streets to protest, millions more would Rally on common ground, and that is the reason I set out on this mission.
Immediately met with unsettling threats from cowards hiding who they really are and more than a few obstacles at every turn. Muddling through, I backed up and tried again. Sometimes I jumped over hurdles, other times going around them or crawling under them. Going down some rabbit holes and chasing some squirrels, I dropped the ball a time or two but still picked it up again and did what I could.
It is only because I will never forget the lessons herding cats taught me, that I understand the value of speaking truth to power as much as I understand that harsh loud conflict can feel isolating and intimidating and overwhelm the average person.
Also, unlike speaking Truth to Power, speaking Truth to Wisdom is not so much about spewing facts to those in power , but rather presenting truth to those with enough wisdom to listen. By building bridges and filling the void dividing this country we can forge a path on common ground. Empowering the powerless, we turn activism into a collective endeavor, not to protest but to rally. Wisdom holding truth humbly has the potential to produce results that move the needle farther than venting anger speaking truth to power.
However, the Fight for our democracy has a lot of empty seats in the room. The reason those seats are empty and those in the middle are quiet is because we have become a nation of spectators sitting in the ‘nosebleed seats’ of history.
Watching the news as if democracy and politics were contact sports for us to watch and either cheer or jeer. It is not so much about being neutral as it is about being complacent, equating “likes” on social media to a foot print and “Shares” a stride.
Forgetting that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing as if the hottest places in Hell weren’t reserved for those who, in a period of moral crisis, maintain neutrality.
Those who do show up speaking truth to power, loud and angry, serve a valuable purpose, gaining attention and making it clear We the People are angry. However, Martin Luther King Jr. in his wisdom said “darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that” because his life experience taught him early that adding to the chaos repels as many as it gathers.
We the People have spoken our truths to power, and just perhaps if we start speaking truth to wisdom, those not inclined to protest will walk away from their keyboards, rallying on the common ground of the foundation of American principles.
When activism isn’t appealing—if it isn’t rooted in strategic, thoughtful wisdom that invites everyone in —we are just ‘clanging cymbals making noise and though it is clear many are enraged, that is the only message being heard; meanwhile millions who share our values remain silent.
Those not showing up to protests don’t see a movement; they see a melee. They don’t see a resolution but a revolution. Although revolutions affect change, a rare few will choose them, that is until there is simply no other choice.
Organizers, advocates, and activists, (cat herders much like myself) are carrying the weight of an entire society on their shoulders and many of us are burning out. Exhausted, not just by the work, but by the isolation, fighting the good fight while most of the world , including many of you who for whatever reason found your way here, watch through a screen from the safety of your lazy boy. Without the cat herders of the world, we are afloat on a ship without a rudder, spinning in circles until it sinks.
Keyboard warriors battling bots and those whose only purpose is to keep you there instead of out in the world where your presence could actually make a difference.
‘The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any, and that my friends is how we got here.
We will not harness that power raising the volume, but by raising our expectations for ourselves. It’s time to move from the bleachers, not to the sidelines but to the field. I promise that lazy boy will be even more inviting and comfy when you return.
We don’t need more martyrs; we need community. We don’t need more spectators; we need participants. We must stop being spectators of our own decline and start being the architects of our future. Let’s speak truth with the wisdom that demands a hearing, rather than the volume that demands an exit. -as Always, whatever you choose to do, don’t add to the chaos!