Everybody is pretty much tired of school shootings and massacres. And in the brief time since I first started writing this post, we’ve had the Austin bombings. And another school shooting in Maryland. In a matter of weeks! I mean, what is wrong with us??? I guess I’d better start cranking these things out faster. It seems pretty obvious that we’ve been in a major transition time on earth for a while now, and it’s been accelerating, a really big shakeout. There’s the old way and there’s the new way. There’s the past and there’s the future. It’s all about consciousness rising (see the recent Easter post), so the movement is from fear to love. And another really powerful way to look at it is as a movement from “me” to “we.” These are major, major changes – MAJOR! – and the old way is not happy about it. And I totally understand that, because who wants to feel threatened? Who wants to feel that their way is wrong? So there’s lots of anger and fear, and understandably so. Who wants their way of life, the only way they know and feel comfortable, to be taken from them?
So yes, we’re seeing lots of crazy things happening like terrorist attacks, mass shootings, bombings, etc. I don’t like them, and I don’t want them to happen anymore, not even once more. But since they’re happening, we might as well see the bigger picture, the bigger purpose (and please know that I’m just the messenger). A hurricane isn’t very fun, to say the least (I’m a native Floridian), but at the end of the day it clears out a ton of old stuff to make room for new growth. And that’s exactly what’s happening now. And whether you like it or not, it can’t be stopped; it’s just too big, like a tidal wave. It’s universal destiny, actually. This is a very long-term movement, of course, but it’s definitely happening and it’s definitely unstoppable. And if you ever question that, then just take a look at the younger generation. Because every election cycle, more and more of them vote (and replace those that die). And they’re not very impressed with the way the world has been operating. Not very impressed? Major understatement…
So let’s talk about the recent school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, FL, because things sure are getting interesting. Have you been paying attention to these students? They are amazing! I’m totally in awe. I mean, millennials (at least the guys) have the hardest time showing up to my appointments on time, but I’ve always felt like they’re just different and that they’re going to change the world. Sometimes I want to shake them and ask, “Do you use an alarm clock? Do you have a calendar? How do you function?? What’s wrong with you?!” But still, I’ve had a feeling they’re going to change the world somehow.
So when I recently read about the survivors in Parkland and the bold (and very true) things they’ve been saying, I knew that this change was more real and under way than I’d thought. I don’t expect it to be quick and I don’t expect it to be smooth – it’ll most likely be pretty slow and ugly, as it already has been, and it’s likely to get much worse before it gets better – but the change is real, it’s here, and it ain’t going anywhere. So let me share some of what they’ve been saying that’s gotten me so fired up. Because they’re saying out loud – very loud, in fact – what SO many of us have been thinking.
I saw a video of two of them on Bill Maher and then I read an article on the news app on my phone, and that’s where I saw this stuff. Also note that my focus is simply on what the survivors have been saying rather than on anything political (since this has been ridiculously politicized, as is everything these days). So I’m not interested in whether the sources (Maher or Vox, where the article came from – and which I’d never even heard of before) are left or right; it’s just what I clicked on the news app (I wanted to provide the links, though). Just pay attention to the attitudes of these younger folks, because it’s different, very different. And I can’t wait for them to destroy all the relics of our current world that aren’t cutting it, like all the greed and corruption. I’m tired of it! And I know so many of you are, too.
One thing that I really love is the lack of automatic respect for politicians. You have to earn it first. And I wouldn’t say that unless politics had gotten THAT bad. But it has. Extreme situations can call for extreme measures, folks, and the kids are right – these people have been doing a terrible, miserable job for many years now. In talking about a planned march in Washington, one of them said, “We want Americans to stop being afraid of demanding our politicians to take action. They work for us; we don’t work for them. The March for Our Lives is us coming out and saying to our employees, ‘You guys suck at your job.’ ” That was Cameron Kasky, age 17. “Our employees?” “You suck at your job?” Did he really say that?? Hahaha yes, brother!!
Another thing that I loved was how Kasky closed the Maher piece: “I mean this sincerely, I really do, to all the generations before us: we sincerely accept your apology,” he said. “We appreciate that you are willing to let us rebuild the world that you f—ed up.” Thank you, young brother! Wow, this dude does not play. Because that attitude is what it’s going to take to change this Titanic of a system that has run its course and is now utterly failing in so many important ways. One more thing that he tweeted is this, and I love it: “They messed with the wrong school. Douglas is a school filled with thousands of leaders. Leaders who know that despite what happened, we’re lucky we go to Douglas. Leaders who take action the right way. Leaders who will rebuild the world that failed us.” Wow! This is amazing.
Another aspect to this that I love – because this one is big – is how they’re calling out our rigged system of buying politicians and getting favors in return, regardless of whether the politicians’ constituents are in alignment with the favor. You know the deal. It’s part of the old way and it surely won’t survive in the new way. So why wait? Let’s start to change it now… Sarah Chadwick, 16, is another one of the survivors that’s been pretty vicious about this on Twitter. And viral. Some of these survivors have a large number of followers now, meaning that they have a very large reach. Chadwick has been particularly direct with both President Trump and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, as well as with the head of the National Rifle Association (NRA). And, by the way, they don’t want to get rid of the Second Amendment; let’s just be more reasonable with gun laws (and polls show that the majority of Americans agree). One tweet that I loved was, “We should change the names of AR-15s to “Marco Rubio” because they are so easy to buy.” Wow, did she really say that?? She’s not mincing words, and it’s very funny, too… But the sad thing is that she’s totally right. And it’s not just Rubio at all; it’s almost all of them. This is getting to the heart of the problem with our political system, and these kids are looking at it, in all of its spectacular brokenness, and saying WTF?? We’re watching a modern day version of The Emperor’s New Clothes that’s happening right in front of our eyes. Go millennials, because you are right! Let’s just start changing this thing now, because it’s inevitable.
So a message to any individual or institution that wants to survive: get with the new program! We’re moving from “me” to “we,” and it doesn’t have to happen all at once; in fact, it can’t happen all at once. But it’s time to start moving in the right direction. We’re moving in the direction of the win-win, where companies and individuals can make money and have awesome lives, but it can no longer be at the expense of others, at least not nearly to the degree that it has been. Just dial it back a bit to start. If you make money by screwing other people over in some way, then the new world is not going to support that. Just saying. The time to shift is now. And I just wanted to share some of my excitement about these Parkland survivors and what they’re saying and doing. They’re brash and they’re bold, but unfortunately that’s what it takes since we’ve gotten to this super low level. So I love them for that, even if they can’t show up to an appointment on time (but that might just be the guys – get with it, guys!). Anyway, we’ll see how this all shakes out, and while it’ll probably get ugly, it’s still pretty exciting. So buckle up, and let’s see where this thing goes.
P.S. The March For Our Lives mentioned above was just this past weekend, and it was huge. It was in almost 900 cities, across the world. Some say it was the biggest planned march since the Vietnam era. This isn’t going anywhere. I’m telling you, though – love and consciousness are behind the whole thing, pushing it forward. That might make it less scary. So again, let’s buckle up and see where this thing goes. And vote! Because these kids sure seem like they’re going to.