Quick and Dirty

This is a quick and dirty Substack post.

I am writing it voice to text on my phone out in the garden.

There are so many things that I want to say on Substack, and I find that I never have enough hours in the day. I also find that it’s difficult for me to write a Substack and not have it be incredibly long, and I try and cram in too many sources and too much information and I have been doing some reflecting over the last few weeks about what I want this space to look like and how it can be serve democracy.

And my audience.

And my permaculture values of Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share.

I’ve been talking pretty openly on my YouTube about how disillusioned and exhausted I am making political content and how it’s slowly killing me. It’s horrible for my mental and physical health and I need to get back to doing some Permaculture projects in the real world. Those may only reach four or five people at a time instead of 100,000, but it feels like really important work, and work that will sustain me.

I’m not going to quit doing political content. I’m just going to start to slowly taper it back and change what that political content looks like. I can’t keep covering breaking news stories that just keep people online scrolling and listening to pundit after pundit. I want my content to help contribute to building a better world. I can’t just be another influencer, putting out another political think piece.

I want to do good. Even though the algorithm prioritizes rage bait. And anxiety bait. And breaking news, breaking news, breaking news…. I can’t.

I know I’m not the only one. My audience tells me they’re weary of political content that doesn’t help drive the resistance forward and doesn’t help create a better future. It keeps folks online alllll day, though. Other influencers are quitting or desperately want to quit, but feel trapped. I am trying to figure out how to escape the trap and create
meaningful
hopeful
inspiring content for my audience
and do some small measure of good in the real world.

Suffice it to say (although I am never known for my brevity), I can’t figure out what to do with the space to do the most good. But I want to do is talk more about permaculture, social permaculture, HOPE, and building a better world.

Yesterday, my third child graduated from high school with honors, he also graduated with his associates degree. I stayed up much of the night thinking about what kind of world we are creating for all of those young folks at his graduation, and all of our children… at a time when they should be looking into the future with hope and imagination and passion, so many of them are so disillusioned and jaded. I woke up this morning after a very little sleep re-doubling my commitment to do work that does good, both for all of us right now in this moment, but also for our children, and for the future. I want a future with Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share. And I will do my best to live like that future is now.

Thank you for being patient with me while I have struggled with learning to use this platform and with my own mental game, and the direction of my work. I’ve got so much I want to say, and so I want to do, and so much I want to share. Thanks for letting me be authentic and for letting me have a space to share my heart and my passions.