Betty Firth

A friend recently sent me a podcast called “The Great Simplification” by Nate Hagans. The episode was “The Things We Take for Granted” with reflections triggered by his upcoming knee surgery. He had never been so aware of his knee until it caused him a lot of pain even rolling over in bed. We have all experienced this heightened body awareness at some point or another. Stubbing or breaking a toe gives us an instant education about and appreciation for the critical role that our toes play in keeping our balance, especially the little and the big toes. As we walk gingerly, we emulate a walking meditation, expressing gratitude for all those previous thousands of steps taken without pain or loss of balance. It leads to the immediate awareness that we often are completely oblivious to our miraculous bodies that just keep ticking along whether we pay attention or not.
I hadn’t heard or read Hagans’ work before, and I appreciated the depth and breadth of where his knee pain led him. He said, “So much of our lives depend on supports we’re hardly aware of,” adding that “a large part of our personal wealth is the reliability of basic stability in our lives” provided in part by health, shelter, heat, and food. Of course, people who have fewer resources have a more tenuous grip on the dependability of any of those things, and life becomes more like walking on a balance beam than on a concrete sidewalk.
During our frigid winters, how quickly we are reminded of our dependence on the availability of electricity and fuel when it’s 30 below and our power goes out. A cozy evening spent curled up on the couch becomes a nightmare, scrambling to find help or a generator. Many who are disenfranchised live this precariously all the time.
The author contemplates other aspects of the framework of our existence that provide stability that we often take for granted, including our social connections, our work, our autonomy, and the very idea of spaciousness in our lives. For myself, I have had a high need for autonomy and have often made choices that at least seem to offer me more freedom than other rewards, such as financial security, power, or recognition. I at least want to have the illusion of some freedom and control over important decisions in my life.
As citizens of a country, however flawed, that has been based somewhat dependably on the rule of law, we are living in a time when we can’t take that for granted anymore. We have a president who believes he has the right and the power to do anything he wants, and neither his appointees in the executive branch, nor many in the judicial branch, nor most members of his party are willing to stand up to his cruel, illegal, unconstitutional actions. So, many of us, for the first time, are faced with the specter of instability in our government and the resulting effects on our daily lives that we never thought could happen here. We can no longer take for granted availability of health care, energy, or affordable food or housing. As our president and his cronies pursue changes to political boundaries and election laws, we can’t even take for granted that we will be able to vote freely with our votes unmolested.
So, the rules are being broken, and we need to figure out how to keep our balance. I believe we are learning that we have to fight for our rights, for our democracy. I believe a lot of people are recognizing that we need to show up to protest and speak up for our values, letting our elected officials and those running for office know that we are paying attention, will keep asking questions, and expect responsible answers if they want to earn our votes.
Coming up on Saturday, March 28 are the third massive, NO KINGS rallies across the nation when millions will head to the streets with their signs and voices. (Sign up and be counted at nokings.org or mobilize.us.) The NO KINGS movement is a collaboration of over 200 organizations including progressive advocacy groups, labor unions, and civil rights organizations with funding from philanthropic organizations and millions of individuals. The core partners are Indivisible, 50501, MoveOn, American Civil Liberties Union, Third Act Movement, and Public Citizen. If you’re ever feeling you’re alone in this, go check all the others out: https://www.nokings.org/partners.)
From nokings.org: “On Oct. 18, over seven million Americans joined 2,700-plus events in all 50 states and some other countries, a nationwide uprising 14 times larger than both of Trump’s inaugurations combined. What began as a single day of defiance has become a sustained national resistance to tyranny.”
“The president thinks his rule is absolute, but in America we don’t have kings. And we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty.” Minnesotans have shown the country and the world how it’s done.
Podcaster Hagans asks, “What part of your life is so stable that you’ve stopped seeing it? What people in your life are you grateful for and what might you thank them for?” Good questions, right? I would add the queries, “What are you willing to step outside your comfort zone to fight for? What have you been taking for granted that you’re appreciating more now? How are you willing to work to change?”
For more information about getting involved locally, contact ElyIndivisible at ReachUs@elyindivisible.org.