I'm going to rant for a minute so bear with me. I'll put fin or end at the end of the thread so please wait for that before replying. This came to me last night and is more relevant this morning.

I'm going to talk about the meaning of life and society as I see it. K? K.

Preface everything I say here with "I think" so I can save characters.

Being human is unique because we can think, assess, and develop far better than the other animals. We have complex thoughts and feelings. And at our best, we're aligned with our instincts and our intellect.

To me that alignment looks like community, infrastructure, education, and respect for human rights.

Food, shelter, pay, healthcare, autonomy, and internet, are modern human rights.

That's because a human right includes everything it takes for someone to live in a society.

You get the baseline necessities that provide you the opportunity to think beyond our physical needs. To relieve us from being bogged down, burdened by debt, starvation, lack of information, illness, and so on.

I should've included education in the above as well.

Many are hung up on this idea that to be a good person or a good member of society, we have to struggle specifically in the realm of human survival.

The same people simultaneously believe that anyone born into a life that doesnt have those challenges dont have to face them.

The reality is that if we think about the collective benefit of our species, all other species, and our planet, establishing the best practices for every single person provides the most benefit. Just flat out.

The only argument I've ever seen against that is that people will have nothing to do or strive for, so everyone will be "lazy" (which is ableist).

Even rich people who have absolutely nothing they NEED to do still take part in education, art, philosophy, and general creativity.

But I digress.

The point is that we largely get caught up in ideas and behaviors that dont work toward the goal. Chosing a hero to guide us to the promised land doesnt work. Fighting for our rights and principles, above all else, should be the foundation for all actions.

We do indeed live within systems in most parts of the world that are counterproductive in the face of collective progress. That is something that we continue to face, especially in times where the many faults in the system are attacked. But powerlessness is an illusion.

And honestly, I dislike using "power" in this way. Community flourishes. We're demonstrating, on our own, that we can band together and take necessary action in order to support one another. Our positions in the system are just roles with functions, equal to all else.

The people working the grocery store are just as important as the people making masks at home who are just as important as the people donating money and as important as those who are staying home.

It's collective effort. It's our individual choices. Community responsibility.

All this to say that we are all trying to achieve the goal. To live in a world where no one has to worry for their survival, so that we're all free to decide what our lives mean for ourselves. Getting to that point does include societal participation, but in a healthy way.

So PLEASE. Fight for your principles in all spaces. Dont put all of your hopes and dreams on some political figure's back. Forget about heroes. We can be PEOPLE and achieve more than a hero ever could.

That's all.

Fin.