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Exercise Conscience * Neighbor Solidarity * De-Weaponize Faith
Exercise Conscience
When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the Helpers. You will always find people who are helping." -- Mister Rogers
Definitions (from Merriam Webster):
Exercise: something performed or practiced in order to develop, improve, or display a specific capability or skill
Conscience: the sense or consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one's own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be good
Stand on Business
Our National Conscience has atrophied. Some of us believed the work was complete, that enough had been done that we could leave the rest to time and let the old ideas die out. "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice," Dr. King said, although it seems many of us misinterpreted this to mean "progress will occur independent of my action".
This is simply not the case. We can all point to a situation where we wanted to speak up, we wanted to defend our neighbor but didn't because it "wasn't worth the trouble" or "those backward views are dying out anyway". One's conscience must be exercised, else it atrophies, leaving us as nothing more than mere consumers.
How does one exercise their conscience?
1. Be informed -- Knowledge is power. What Congressional District do you live in? Who are your local, state and federal representatives? What resources are available to you and your neighbors? Real change happens at the local level so pour most of your energy into your immediate community.
2. Debate -- We want to get to the bottom of why people believe what they believe. Ask questions. Make them logically walk themselves through their argument. If at any point, their argument requires the dehumanization of any particular group, we must call them out. Refuse to participate until they can present an argument that doesn't require the dehumanization of our Neighbors. Examples here.
3. Protest -- Find your tribe. Maybe the Good Neighbors' Coalition is the right spot for you. Maybe its not. There are plenty of organizations that both explicitly and implicitly support our cause. You can find an incomplete list here.
4. Boycott -- Stop supporting businesses that back the Trump regime. We know this is difficult, but believe it or not, we were capable of commerce and industry before Amazon and the internet. Shop local. Support small business. Support Good Neighbor businesses like HEB and Costco.
5. Outreach -- We must help MAGA deconstruct the patriarchal elements of their Christian belief to get to the underlying message of social justice. We must also help Leftists deconstruct the patriarchal elements in their political beliefs. They believe these patriarchal elements come from capitalism, but really they are tied to an undercurrent of Christian Nationalism that never really faded out. Capitalists can be Good Neighbors too (see Warren Buffett, George Soros, Paul Allen).
6. Run for office -- We intend to promote our Good Neighbors to local, state and federal office. If you want to make positive change, run!
7. Mock Their Leaders -- Fascism is fueled by an insecurity that poses as strength. Point that out the them EVERY SINGLE TIME.
8. Protect your Neighborhoods -- Establish neighborhood watches and coordinate with those in your neighborhood to alert and respond to abduction attempts. White men will be crucial in this role; they must use their privilege to protect their neighbors.