“Instead, we’ve been left with a system that favors the rich and the well-connected at the expense of the general population. Inequality has skyrocketed, and environmental degradation has accelerated at an unprecedented rate.”
Democracy is Weak
“Fifty-five percent of Americans say that their democracy is “weak,” and 68% fear it is getting weaker. Roughly half agree that America is in “real danger of becoming a nondemocratic, authoritarian country.” Further, many believe the system is rigged: Some 70% of Americans say that “Our political system seems to only be working for the insiders with money and power.”"
Trapped in a system
“He denounced a broken status quo in which cynical Republicans outmaneuvered feckless Democrats in a racialized culture war, leaving most Americans trapped in a system that gave them no real control over their lives.”
Timothy Shenk speaking of Barack Obama in “A Lost Manuscript Shows the Fire Barack Obama Couldn’t Reveal on the Campaign Trail”
Startlingly dangerous
“One in five pregnant people experiences a significant complication. And one in 4,000 dies during pregnancy, in childbirth, or shortly after delivering, including one in 1,800 Black mothers.”
Annie Lowrey, “American Motherhood”, The Atlantic
You break it
“The applicable adage in defense of the Constitution is not “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” but rather, “You break it, you own it.” We, not Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, made this mess, and it is up to us to fix it.”
Rita Tobin, “Letter to the Editor”, NY Times
Heightened Coping Skills
“Only with heightened coping skills will we be able to rise above our shell shock and be who we want to be. All of us have the capacity to do this, and when we do, we will increase our own happiness and be of greater service to those around us.”
Mary Pipher in “How I Build a Good Day When I’m Full of Despair at the World”, NY Times
Ordinary Heroes
“Most of us cannot be great heroes. However, we all have the capacity to be ordinary heroes. We may not be able to stop the global use of plastics, but we can work with local environmental groups. We cannot eliminate prejudice or nuclear weapons. However, we can deliver Meals on Wheels or repair bikes for giveaway programs.”
Mary Pipher in “How I Build a Good Day When I’m Full of Despair at the World”, NY Times
I rarely discuss this despair.
“Some days, the news is such that I need all my inner strength to avoid exhaustion, anxiety and depression. I rarely discuss this despair. My friends don’t, either.”
Mary Pipher in “How I Build a Good Day When I’m Full of Despair at the World”, NY Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/28/opinion/coping-climate-war-happiness.html